Endgame: Complete
by SilverStorm0
Summary: From Kanto to Alola, the stories of these Champions continue long after they're crowned. Let's see what happens to them, shall we?
1. Return to Lumiose

**A/N Hello my fellow internet-goers! Welcome to** _ **Endgame: Complete**_ **, a story-series-thingy of I'm doing about Pokemon. This will not focus on ships (or armadas, if you're like me), but can and will include them.**

 **This is my interpretation of what could happen during or after the events of the games. I'll probably take creative liberties from the anime, but Ash _will not_ appear.**

 **These will not be in chronological order, and each should be considered to be in its own separate universe unless explicit shown to be otherwise. It's more fun for you guys and lets me experiment more.**

 **Until next time~**

 **-Storm 2016**

* * *

"What do you _mean_ I'm not strong enough?" The young woman in her mid to late teens responsible for the indignant statement fumed at the cause of her rage, the doorman for the highest-end restaurant in Lumiose City. Despite its out of the way locale on one of the numerous side streets, it was undoubtedly the strongest battle-restaurant that the city had to offer. None of the others could prove to be as adequate of a challenge.

"Ma'am, as I said before, we only accept the most powerful of clientele. You aren't on the list, so I can't let you in." The gi-clad man said, raising a hand in a placating gesture. But the woman would have none of that.

"How could I _not_ be on the list?! I'm the freaking _Champion_!" She paused a moment, taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself. Getting triggered by a lack of recognition was no way for a Champion to act.

"As I said, I'm Serena, saviour of Kalos and also its current reigning Champion," Serena said again, pulling her trainer card and badge case out of her bag to prove it. "See?" She pointed to the full case, where she had pinned the medal of honor she had been awarded after the Team Flare incident, along with the badges she had worked so hard to earn.

"Now that you mention it, you do look a lot like the girl from the parade," The doorman admitted begrudgingly, crossing his arms and squinting his eyes as he inspected her face again.

 _Wait… like?_

"What do you mean by 'a lot like,' Mr. Doorman?" Serena asked brightly as she clasped her hands together behind her back, card and case held between them. There were barely disguised daggers in her voice that could be made out through the sweet overtone. The man was smart enough to escape the situation.

"Oh, uh… I mean… I can't believe I didn't recognize you!" He quickly corrected himself, the smile plastered on his face both apologetic and nervous.

"That's better!" Serena smiled up at him with the charming yet dangerous innocence she had learned on her journey. She could destroy a good chunk of the town if she wanted to, and he realized that.

"So," She drew out the word childishly, using her smaller stature to her advantage. "Can I go in now?" She did her best to sugar-coat her voice in an attempt to sway the bouncer, stealthily sidling closer to the door. Apparently not stealthily enough.

"Sorry, but I can't let you do that," He insisted adamantly, barring her progress into the establishment with an arm. "If you're not on the list, you're not on the list." In one infuriating moment, Serena actually contemplated setting her Delphox loose on the man. But that would do nothing but cause trouble for the both of them, so she dismissed the thought. Also she didn't feel like paying reparations for the damage it would create.

"Fine, fine," The champion said, mentally taking a step back from the situation. "I'll go." She turned on her heels and walked away, wanting to get out of there before she actually did set one of her pokemon loose. Besides, she was here on official business as Champion, not to go to fancy restaurants. As she reached the outlet into Centrico Plaza, she pulled out her Holo-Caster and dialed the number of a friend she had met on her original journey through Kalos.

"Hey, Clemont," She greeted the holographic image of the Lumiose Gym Leader with a smile and small wave of the hand.

"Oh, Serena. It's been a while," Clemont replied rather awkwardly, rubbing a hand on the back of his neck, his glasses flashing from the changed angle.

"Did I call at a bad time?" Serena asked worriedly. She hadn't meant to cause any trouble for him.

"No, no. Not at all," He reassured her quickly. "I've actually just finished with a challenger. Your timing couldn't be more perfect."

"Okay, good," She released the breath she didn't know she had been holding.

"So, what do you need?" Clemont asked curiously, the hologram shuddering as Serena walked towards Prism Tower.

"I was just wondering if we could stage an exhibition battle here some time in the next month," She explained, glancing away from the Caster for a moment to dodge a rollerblader thundering past on the sidewalk. She had originally come to Lumiose on the previous champion's request to set up the battle, and had gotten sidetracked with the restaurant.

"Sure, I don't see why not," The gym leader agreed steadily. "But with who?"

"Some trainer from a foreign region challenged Diantha to a battle as the Champion. Since she is no longer holds that title, the request falls to me." Serena explained simply. There was no need to go into details just yet, especially since she was in the middle of the busiest section of Lumiose City. There was no telling who could overhear their plans.

"I was hoping you would agree to host it, given that your gym is basically an arena." She stopped at curb of the street, waiting for the crosswalk to light.

"It would prevent me from taking challengers during the expo," Clemont muttered, probably just thinking aloud, as he had a tendency to, "But it would be nice to have your debut expo at my gym, too."

"That's right," Serena realized, mentally facepalming as she walked across the crosswalk as the lights changed. "This is my first official battle since beating the league."

"You've been so busy that you've forgotten that?" He chuckled as she hopped onto the opposite sidewalk, traffic resuming as the lights changed again.

"I think the novelty of it hasn't quite work off yet," She answered with a laugh. "I mean, did I really become the Champion a few months ago, or is this just some fantasy of grandeur?"

"If this is just your imagination, I feel pretty real for an idea in your head." He joked back. "Anyway, where are you? I'd like to get this set up as soon as possible."

"Clemont," Serena started, trying her best not to laugh.

"What?" He asked in a worried tone. "Is my backpack smoking again?"

"No, no," She wheezed, trying save face as she giggled at his obliviousness.

"Then what is it?" He demanded, looking at her through the Holo-Caster sternly.

"Clemont," She repeated as best she could, "Turn around." Lifting her gaze from the device, she looked into the huge glass doors of Prism Tower, a structure comprised mostly of large windows. There, in the main lobby, was Clemont, the electric trainer staring resentfully at Serena's hologram with his back to the real her. With a huge grin on her face, she waved cheerfully at him while laughing at how someone so smart could miss something so obvious.

Only being couple years younger than her, Clemont was a genius with anything mechanical or electrical. He had designed Prism Tower and much of the city's electrical infrastructure as well. And despite his blue jumpsuit, he was also kind of cute in an adorkable way.

Clemont did as he was told, turning around so that he could see Serena laughing her ass off and waving. By the time he had come out of the tower to meet her properly, he was completely embarrassed, if his pink face was telling the truth. While his cheeks returned to their normal hue, they exchanged pleasantries and moved their conversation inside the tower, which also served as the Lumiose Gym.

"I've forgotten how breathtaking some of these arenas can be," Serena sighed as they entered the main core of the gym via the spectator's entrance into the stands. It was a huge vaulted room, large steel cross beams crisscrossing the ceiling, the main arena being a packed dirt floor with white paint borders. The stands themselves were simple metal benches on concrete slabs, but they were fairly comfortable all things considered.

It wasn't the room itself, per say, that was breathtaking, but the memory of the battle she and Clemont had had there. She triumphed, of course, but the gym leader hadn't taken it easy on her at all. It was one of the most memorable, well, memories, that she had made on her journey, along with the other battles with gym leaders and the League itself. The ultimate weapon that Team Flare had unearthed had also been breathtaking, but was so in a much more dangerous light. Serena thought of it almost as a Roserade; undeniably beautiful yet inherently dangerous.

"Yes, it can be something," Clemont agreed, a note of nostalgia in his voice. He had spent much more time here than she, and had met many challengers, some of which had were bound to be memorable. A comfortable silence filled the air as the two let themselves sink into their own thoughts.

"Hey, Clemont! Are your pokemon healed yet? You've still got a challenger waiting!" The familiar voice snapped the two roughly out of their stupor, causing both to look around for the source. The pattering of shoes against the concrete floor of the bleachers alerted them to the newcomer.

"Bonnie!" Serena greeted the energetic young blonde, who stopped in her tracks a few yards away.

"Serena!" Bonnie practically tackled the older girl in her greeting. If not for the long months of training that the Champion had gone through with her Pokèmon, she might have been bowled over by the hug.

"We haven't seen you in forever!" Bonnie continued to squeeze Serena's midsection, pinning her arms to her sides.

"Yes, it's nice to see you, too," Serena gasped, struggling to breath from Bonnie's energetic hug. The small girl was exceptionally strong for some reason, and the over the top greeting she was giving the Champion was starting to hurt. As she was released from Bonnie's iron grip, she was flooded with relief as the pressure evaporated.

"Wow, when did you get that strong?" Serena winced, rubbing her arms to sooth the bruises that were probably going to show up soon.

"Never mind that," Bonnie said flippantly, turning on her brother. "You didn't tell me Serena was coming over! Or that she was even in Lumiose!"

"Calm down, Bonnie," Clemont said nervously, making placating motions. "I didn't even know until about ten minutes ago, when she called,"

"Really?" She asked quizzically, looking from Serena to her brother. Then a mischievous grin came onto her normally innocent face.

"Serena," Bonnie strung the word out with a musical tone. "Did you come just to see Clemont?" She repeatedly raised and lowered her eyebrows suggestively, a smirk on her face. Yes, Serena had learned the ways of "innocent yet dangerous" manipulation from Bonnie. As much as she could pull it off, Bonnie could do it a hundred times better.

"For the last time, Bonnie," Clemont chastised the girl tiredly, walking the few feet between himself and his sister and placing a hand on her head. "You need to stop trying to find me a girlfriend,"

"Fine, fine," The blonde relented, puffing out her cheeks childishly. "Then why are you here, Serena?" Her voice was now clean of the earlier teasing malice, a simple curiosity taking over the sound.

"I'm here on official business," Serena said vaguely, taunting the younger girl by holding the important information over her head for a moment longer. When it looked like Bonnie's patience was running thin, a whole half a minute at most, she explained further.

"I'm setting up an expo battle because someone challenged Diantha as the Champion. But I'm the current holder of the title 'Champion,' so they're fighting me." She explained it as quickly and simply as she could. It wasn't that Bonnie couldn't understand the jargon that high-ranking trainers typically used; she was a gym leader's sister, she heard it all the time. Serena was just saving time with a short and sweet explanation.

"Oh, okay," Bonnie nodded in understanding. "So you're going to be in Lumiose for a bit?"

"Yep. I'll probably be staying in a hotel or something." Serena confirmed. A light went on in Bonnie's eyes. Not the evil glint from before; more like when someone in a cartoon gets an idea and a light bulb appears over their head.

"You should totally stay with us!" Bonnie practically squeaked as she bounced around, knocking Clemont's hand off her head and abusing the ridiculous amout of energy bestowed upon children.

"Okay, okay," Serena agreed quickly, if only to calm the blonde, a tentative smile on her face.

"Clemont? Are we going to battle or not?" A new voice, this one also not unfamiliar, either. It rang out behind Serena, from the entrance to the bleacher area that led to the battlefield.

Turning, Serena saw a dark headed boy scrambling up the steps to meet them, a pendant flopping around wildly on a cord. She recognized that cord, and its owner as well.

"Of course! Sorry about that," Clemont apologized to the boy. "One of my friends happened to come by, and I couldn't just ignore her," The gym leader explained, rubbing the back of his neck again.

"Oh, that fine," The challenger said dismissively, waving it off before looking behind Clemont at her.

"…Serena?" There was slight confusion in his tone, but that was mostly covered by pleasant surprise.

"Hey, Calum. How've you been?" Serena asked cheerfully with a small wave.

"Fine," Calum answered nonchalantly, apparently not caring to elaborate. In response, Serena held out her arms in silent request for a friendly hug. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he let out an exasperated sigh, accepting the gesture.

"So you already know each other?" Clemont asked after the two had separated, pushing his glasses up with two fingers, which made them flash.

"Yes. Professor Sycamore recruited us at the same time, and we've met up on several occasions on our original journeys." Calum explained, still suppressing a smile from Serena's almost childish behaviour. "I've started on a training journey to see if I can actually measure up to you, Serena, and so I've been challenging the gyms again."

When the both of them had set off, neither had a clear idea of what they wanted to gain from traveling. Calum wanted to be unique as a trainer, which fueled him to learn to master Mega Evolution, hence why he had a Key Stone. In other circumstances, he still probably would have wanted to do so. But Serena… she had no clue what she wanted. She had just moved in from another region: she knew no-one, and no-one knew her. It was probably the ideal time to go out on an adventure, but that didn't give her a goal. Originally, she had accepted the offer so that she could escape the tedious training that her mom had insisted on giving her. She had no intention to become a Rhyhorn Racer, regardless that her mom was one. On her travels, she had learned the joy and exhilaration of battling alongside her friends, and that drove her towards challenging the Gyms.

"Do you know how the others are doing?" She asked, breaking herself out of thought, tilting her head quizatively. She hadn't had much contact with her friends since becoming Champion, mainly because the title came with many of its own responsibilities. After she had won it, Diantha had actually expressed gratitude for being relieved of those tasks. The former Champion already had a busy schedule as a famous actress, and over time being Champion had almost become a burden to her.

"Well… as far as I know, Trevor's still completing the Pokedex, Tierno's working on his perfect dance team, and Shauna's collecting Princess Keys." Calum paused between each one, as if going over everything he knew before answering. Typical of him, always overthinking everything. It was part of the reason he could never beat her - he took just a fraction of a second too long to give out orders.

"So, how many badges have you gotten since restarting?" Serena asked, curious as to how far he had progressed in just the few months since she had seen him last. He smirked, as if he had waited for her to ask just that question.

"I've got two now, and Clemont will be three," Calum pulled out his badge case, the slightly worn plastic showing the glittering medal beneath: The Rumble and Cliff badges.

"So you've rematched Korrina?" He nodded, glancing down at the cord around his neck as he did so. On it was the Key Stone he had been granted during their original journey, which he only used in emergencies. Actually, it had first been on a bracelet, as Serena's had, but he had requested it be moved to a necklace. Serena had made hers into a ring to make it less obvious to the casual observer, but if she really knew him as much as she thought she did, Calum had probably been thinking of accessibility. Korrina also had a Key Stone, which she undoubtedly would have used against Calum during their rematch.

"It was a difficult battle, but we triumphed in the end," He admitted proudly as he pulled something out of his pocket. He gazed fondly at the Pokeball in his palm, most likely Greninja, his most trusted partner.

"This is touching and all," Bonnie interjected, breaking the atmosphere. "But weren't you going to fight Clemont?"

"Right," Calum chuckled, possibly at his own mistake. "We probably should, before our Pokemon lose their patience."

"In that case, good luck. I'll be cheering you on," Serena said with a smile as she walked past him into the stands, patting him on the shoulder as she did so, before adding, "Not that you need it."

"Clemont's a tough opponent, so you never know," Calum turned and sniped back with a similar grin on his face. "And if I do win, I want a rematch with you. I want to show you how we've improved since you last saw us." He challenged her, a determined gleam in his eyes.

"Okay," Serena accepted with a laugh, her grin spreading wider. "But you're not the only one who's improved, so don't get cocky."

"I could say the same for you," Calum retorted. If she was honest, Serena had quite missed their witty banter, and this was like a breath of fresh air. Not that she would actually tell him that.

"You're not gonna have the chance to be cocky if you don't face Clemont," She chided him, lightly pushing him towards the battlefield and the spectacular battle that would soon occur.

* * *

 **A/N Apologies for the info-dump at the top. I thought it was necessary to explain the concept for this before delving in.**

 **I'm eventually going to write more for this particular story line, but not yet. There's other stories to tell, different regions to visit.**

 **-Storm 2016  
**  
 **Looking back, I feel this particular story doesn't really do justice to the rest. It's pacing is a bit weird, and although it does have its moments, it doesn't set as accurate an expectation for the others than I'd like. Early installment weirdness, I suppose.**

 **-Storm 2017**

 **Until next time~**


	2. Contest Chaos

**A/N Just a reminder, but please feel free to request any particular character and/or region.**

 **Anywho, onto the story!**

 **~Storm 2017**

* * *

Loud cheers exploded from the audience, nearly drowning out the last of the announcer's speech, but it hadn't mattered anyways. There was no stopping the flood of voices, each trying to outdo the others, trying to grab her attention. Flowers were thrown, some single stems, others complete bouquets. She grabbed a rose out of the air, making a show of sniffing it, then blew a kiss out in the general direction it had come from. Multiple shrieks, hopefully of joy.

Something nudged her hand, and she glanced down to her side. There was Absol, nuzzling her side, the beautiful pokemon looking just as happy as she.

The roaring of the crowd lulled a little, and she took the opportunity to act. Making a show of pinning the Ribbon to Absol's sash, she curtsied then tossed the flower out into the sea of indistinguishable faces. Hands reached up, all in the hope of catching it. The cheering crescendoed again with renewed ferocity.

The teleprompter displayed a message in blocky neon letters. "Bow and then exit stage left". She, the three former semi-finalists and all their pokemon bowed to the audience, then were waved offstage by one of the stage hands.

As usual, she went directly into the main lobby to talk to her fans, but this time was different. The moment she set foot into the room, she was hounded by dozens upon dozens of people like never before. It was a chaotic whirlwind of faces, signatures, hands reaching out to shake hers. In the end, she would only clearly remember the image of a small child who was near tears with joy: one of the few who had brought a gift for Absol, a pretty blue bow. Said pokemon was overjoyed, insisting it be put on immediately. She allowed the child to tie it around the base of her pokemon's horn.

Soon enough, though, the crowd became pushy, competing for her as they had with their voices. Someone grabbed her wrist, another her forearm.

A startling cry from Absol brought that to an abrupt end, the graceful quadrupedal pokemon pacing in front of her, glaring daggers, practically daring them to approach again, and the crowd was suddenly reminded of the pokemon's long, almost talon-like claws and the sharp horn on her head. But it wouldn't last forever. A plan of action came to mind.

"Absol, use perish song!" At first the white pokemon's voice soothed the crowd with a haunting yet pretty tune. However, it soon became discordant, each note clashing with the others, and people began covering their ears in an attempt to block the horrid sounds and sinking to their knees, their energy sapped by the sound. The effects, already ineffective against humans, were diluted by the background noise and would last only a few minutes after Absol had stopped. She had to be quick, but it wasn't helping that her strength was also waning. When the opening came, she made a break for the exit through the weakened wall of bodies.

She cursed the size of the contest hall as they ran. There were so many spectators clogging the way, and the layout was already confusing enough as it was. Absol couldn't have properly sung while running, as the warbling it caused was enough to disrupt the song's properties, and her other attacks would either actually hurt people or cause property damage.

The commotion her fans were causing was attracting more attention from the otherwise bystanders, who were starting to follow as well. She was chased around in a near complete circle, ending up back where she started near the entrance to the performers' dressing rooms and lounge. The veritable hoard of people and pokemon trying to glomp her had nearly caught up. She was tired, her side ached, her feet hurt, and Absol had disappeared part way through, perhaps swallowed by the crowd. She couldn't keep the pace, they were going to catch her.

Just as she passed the hall, something caught her arm and she was dragged into it, to a shallow alcove just out of view from the main lobby. The mob carried on, chasing someone who wasn't there anymore. A hand clamped over her mouth, preventing any sound coming out. She struggled, desperate to escape, but they had an iron grip around her.

"Calm down, May. It's just me." May froze, recognizing the voice, and felt her racing pulse slow. Slowly, she relaxed, and the person released her. She turned.

"Brandon?!" Her friend grinned, evidently having fun with her confusion.

"What, not happy to see me even after I _totally_ just saved you?" His grin turned smug.

"I could have handled it," She insisted, crossing her arms and turning her head away from him. "And I didn't expect to see you here."

"Ooh, that's cold," He mock shivered, rubbing his arms. "And for your information, Absol didn't seem to think so."

"Absol!? Where is she?" May panicked, whipping around trying to find sight her friend, guilty at the thought of losing track of her.

"Whoa, May, do you _want_ to attract that hoard out there?" Brandon caught hold of her arm again, forcing her to still. As much as she didn't want to admit it, he had a point.

"...fine," she subdued. "Just tell me where she is."

"This way," Brandon turned into the hall and waved for her to follow. Even after the months since she had last seen him, he hadn't changed all that much. Same backpack, same jacket, same white hat that had the little tufts on top.

He led May to the lounge where the performers rested in between their times on stage. It was comfortable, to say the least, with puffy chairs and couches around a glass coffee table, to one side of the room a buffet with mostly-empty platters of deserts and horderves. A large screen was mounted in clear view of all the seats, currently turned off, where the performances were streamed.

"Absol!" She practically tackled the pokemon, who had previously been pacing back and forth worriedly by the table.

"That pokemon of yours is pretty smart," Brendan commented, sitting on one of the chair arms. "She found me, and since you and your partners are attached at the hip, I knew something had to be wrong."

"Thank you, Absol," May murmured into her friend's alabaster fur, who barked affectionately.

"What, I don't get any appreciation?"

"I suppose you earned it," She sighed, standing and turning to him. She took a couple steps forward, so their faces were only a few inches apart. He clearly wasn't expecting that, as he blushed.

"W-what-"

May started patting his head, a mischievous smile on her lips. "Good job, Brandon."

"M _ay_!" He yelled as she backed off, a whining note in his voice.

"You _did_ asked for appreciation," She laughed, to which Absol seemed to snigger. "And who wouldn't want to be thanked by _moi_?" May exaggerated placing her hand over her chest, playing up the hubris.

"Your ego's getting bigger by the day," Brandon groaned, before hopping off the chair.

"Where're you going?" She asked, tilting her head quizzically.

"Leaving," He tossed the word over his shoulder, not bothering to turn.

"But that's the staff exit." He did look back that time, a dumbfounded look on his face.

"So you want to try to get past your rabid fans again?"

"Point taken," May sighed, "So I'm going with you."

"Why would you, o great May, want to hang with a nobody like me?" Brandon said, the words riddled with good-natured sarcasm.

"A nobody who also just happens to be Champion of Hoenn," She replied cheekily, ducking into her changing room to change and grab her bag.

"So you heard? And I thought I was being sneaky…" The Champion pouted.

"Norman called a few weeks ago," May rolled her eyes, not that he could see, and shouldered the backpack her contest clothes were in as she adjusted her fanny pack.

"Why do parents always ruin my fun?" He grumbled, still sulking. "I wanted to tell you myself."

"Anyway, you've got quite the story to tell. If you do, lunch is on me." May offered Brandon her hand.

"You bet," He grinned, taking it.


	3. An Alolan Vacation

**A/N It's been forever since I updated this... I should really work on that. Anyways, I'm back with another chapter. The cast is different from the previous two, though I do plan on revisiting those regions.**

 **I don't really have anything else to say...  
So, until next time~**

* * *

Leaf yawned, stretching under the pleasant Alolan sun. The motion made her purse shift, so she adjusted the strap on her shoulder and backpack as a result. Jet lag was starting to catch up with her, even though she hadn't been there an hour. She took small steps toward the fountain right outside the entrance to the bustling Heahea City airport, where a few children were playing in the water, locals if their tans were to be believed. They splashed about, laughing and giggling. Something bumped into Leaf's back, making her turn.

"I was wondering where you were, Yellow," The pale girl looked up from under her broad-brimmed wicker hat, suitcase clutched firmly in both hands.

"I got turned around in the checkout," the shorter girl explained, glancing around in discomfort as she did so.

"You really didn't have to come with me," Leaf chuckled, motioning for her friend to walk with her. Yellow obliged, followed by the expected response.

"Knowing you, I couldn't let you go halfway around the world on your own," Yellow laughed, a little of her discomfort seeming to be gone, "Besides, I'm being selfish. I've always wanted to sight-see here."

"Mmhm…" was Leaf distracted reply, as they had wandered into what appeared to be a market. All weariness was gone as she gazed on rows upon rows of stalls, filled to the brim with exotic merchandise of all kinds. There were colorful fruits, fishmongers with their catches on ice, patterned fabrics, and lots of noise from shopkeepers marketing their wares. It was a hypnotizing mess of colors, sounds and smells- Oh Mew the smells. The entire place had different scents depending on which part you were in, from sweet fruit to rich spices to seafood, most prominently of which were the fish. She was mesmerized, wanting to explore the beautiful orderly chaos. Someone tapped her arm.

"Don't we have somewhere we need to be?" Yellow reminded Leaf gently, the latter having pulled out of her trance to notice she had taken unbidden steps towards the market.

"Right," she sighed. Yellow reached into the bag swinging at her side, pulling out a map from the unfathomable depths. The two were supposed to meet a few friends who happened to be in the region. Friends who had been kind enough to pay for their hotel room, where they were meeting up.

Responsibilities sucked.

While looking at a map was one thing, translating the lines, symbols and colors into actual places was quite the other. The pair wandered to and fro, through the much less crowded mundane yet excitingly fresh streets, completely lost yet still enjoying themselves. Leaf moreso, as she continued deliberately dragging Yellow into interesting nooks and crannies of the town. The smaller trainer seemed mildly annoyed each time Leaf did so, but curiosity nearly always won out.

"We're not getting anywhere like this," Yellow sighed, stopping Leaf in her previously bouncing jovial steps.

"You're no fun…" she whined, but the shorter girl just ignored her and, after seeming to steele herself, approached a passerby. A few moments later, Yellow was thanking the man and returned to Leaf.

"This kind gentleman has offered to show us to the Tide Song Hotel," Leaf was informed, "So don't you dare purposefully wander off again. You can do that after we're done."

"Fine," Leaf held out the word in defeat, childishly expressing her slight annoyance. Yellow just rolled her eyes and started following their guide, leaving Leaf to play catch-up.

From behind, there wasn't much to say about him. A loud tropical shirt, a straw hat, khaki shorts and flip-flops. He had a whicker basket of fruit balanced in one hand and a shopping bag in the other, both presumably from the market they had stumbled upon earlier. He persistently tried striking up conversation, but she couldn't have cared less and Yellow was probably too nervous. Eventually, he did ask a question that caught Leaf's attention.

"The Tide Song is a decently high-end place. What are important ladies like you doing here on the poorer side of town?"

"Just exploring," Leaf quickly answered, cutting off Yellow from speaking. The two girls started a staring contest of wills, only to be distracted by an odd squawking sound and something falling just out of the corner of their eyes. A glance told Leaf it was a large blue feather. A silent agreement was made as the two gained eye contact again.

"I'm sure you could already tell, but this is our first time here, and we wanted to see the local culture." Leaf explained in an attempt to cover her rushed response. Their guide apparently shrugged it off with one of those ' _It's none of my business'_ looks, continuing on with his other attempts at conversation, none of which included their staying at the hotel.

Eventually, he hit upon the one topic Leaf knew her friend couldn't resist: pokémon. Though, she couldn't complain. After all, there was little chance of dangerously personal information being disclosed. The suddenly chatty Yellow was also having fun, which Leaf didn't really want to spoil.

More walking and a few turns later, a chill went up her spine. One of those feelings where you could tell something was wrong, yet unable to pinpoint what.

"Yellow…" Leaf reached out to tap her friend's shoulder, when a voice called out.

"Don't move!"

Immediately the trainer was on high alert, whipping around to see who was there. In front of her was a fairly burly man in an odd cross-patterned tank, one hand around a fairly cheap switch knife, the other a perch for a Pokemon. From the whimpering and shuffling of Yellow's feet, they were probably surrounded.

"Must be some leftover Skulls," she heard their guide mutter.

Momentarily filing the comment away, one of Leaf's hands slowly reached for her bag, cautiously attempting to free one of her pokemon, when the man with the knife spoke.

"Hands in the air, missy." Leaf froze, lifting her hands. One of them brushed against her hair, revealing the earring underneath.

"Chatot here overheard you ladies were staying at the Tide Song," the man diverted his attention to the Chattot, stroking his bird pokemon's head, whom started repeating snippets of their earlier conversation in its very bird-like voice.

Mistake number one: never take your eyes off your target. Mistake number two: don't give away your secrets. Mistake number three: he messed with _her_.

The thug continued, none the wiser of Leaf's unimpressed thoughts. "It's a pretty expensive place, so you must have a lot of jewels and cash. In fact, I like that earring of yours." He motioned to Leaf with the knife. "Give it here." Instantly a plan arose. Leaf obliged, taking the multi-colored gem from her ear.

"The other one's hook broke, and it's in my bag," Leaf said cautiously. If she was right, this guy was no professional. Cocky, yes, but he certainly didn't know how to control them.

"Fine, just get it," he rolled his eyes in irritation.

 _Success!_

Leaf slowly reached into her purse, feeling for the correct item. Soon, she found it, and quick as she could threw it out.

"Your turn, Venusaur!" The pokeball returned to her hand as her beloved Venusaur materialized. It let out a cry most would find fearsome, but Leaf knew was just the pokemon being happy. A few of the men surrounding them shuffled backwards at the sight. Yellow let out a sigh of relief.

"You think that thing's supposed to scare me?" The man with the knife snarled, but there was a definite undertone of fear.

Leaf smiled. "No. _This_ is." She gripped the Key Stone in her hand tighter, muttering under her breath.

"Venusaur, Mega Evolve," The brilliant lights she never got used to seeing immediately expanded outwards, connecting with the ones from Venusaur's Mega Stone. True to her word, the man looked terrified. His Chatot squawked in a perturbed way, taking off from its trainer, who soon followed.

She waited just a little sooner to make sure they had all fled, before recalling Venusaur, who looked disappointed that he couldn't battle.

"I thought Team Skull was gone. Something about their leader leaving, right?" Leaf turned to their guide in lieu of an explanation.

"A-after Team Skull was disbanded, most of them returned to everyday life. But a few continued as criminals, some even more violent without the restraint of Guzma." He smiled nervously, making placating motions with his hands.

"I suppose that makes sense…" Leaf sighed, rubbing her temple, "I just wish I'd known sooner. I would've been able to have Venusaur on standby."

"There were fliers about Team Skull hung up in the airport," Yellow deadpanned at her.

"And how was I supposed to know that?"

"We were just there this morning,"

"I was tired,"

"Like I wasn't!"

Their petty argument continued, the guide making no attempt to stop it. There were a few solid minutes of bickering before the two burned out, resorting to poking each other in an attempt to win.

They were about to resume their journey towards the Song Tide, when a loud screech resounded above them, followed closely by a roar. Leaf tensed for a split-second before recognizing the cries. Yellow seemed to as well, but their guide fell backwards in fear. Looking up, Leaf could see two large pokemon landing; a Fearow and a Charizard. She waved jovially to their trainers, who waved back as they landed.

"What happened to meeting at the Tide Song?" Leaf inquired as they slid to the ground.

"You were taking forever," Blue complained from beside his Fearow. "Knowing you, I was getting antsy, so I went out for a short flight." Red remained silent, as ever. It was hard for her to read his face, and even harder for her to know what he was thinking. Only Arceus knew exactly what was going on in the head of his.

"I take it you saw our little display of power?" Leaf asked, smugness seeping into her voice despite her best efforts otherwise.

"It was difficult not to," Blue deadpanned back, "But, what was it for? I hope you weren't just playing pranks," his expression turned more serious, as if he actually thought she would do something as foolish as that. Not that she wouldn't, mind you, but there were more pressing matters at hand.

"Of course not," Leaf scoffed indignantly, "I was driving away some thugs that tried to jump us." Red had zoned out during the conversation, only to snap back to attention. Worry was written clear as day on his usually calm features as his gaze flickered over Leaf's shoulder to where Yellow was standing quietly. The shorter girl was much less of an accomplished trainer compared to the three of them, something they were almost painfully aware of given the wacky yet dangerous situations the group managed to get themselves into.

Yellow, however, had something else entirely on her mind, if the light blush and the absolutely adorable way she was avoiding Red's gaze was any indication. Leaf suppressed a smirk

"We're fine," Leaf assured him, to which he let out a breath of relief. Only then did she remember their guide, and turned to speak with him. He certainly looked shaked, glancing between the three Champions.

"I'm so sorry for dragging you into this mess," Leaf apologised, diging through her purse until she came across what she was looking for. She pulled out a small silk pouch, handing it to him. He warily opened the drawstrings, then practically gasped at the contents. Carefully, he drew a few pearls from the bag.

"I can't take this," he refused the gift, placing it back in Leaf's hands.

"It's payment for your time," she insisted, giving it back. "And besides, I've got enough money. A half dozen pearls isn't going to make much difference." Leaf really did have more than she was ever going to use, with a near constant stream of income on top of that. Back in Kanto, she was challenged to battles nearly every day, winning all of them. Being a former Champion was quite lucrative, if not occasionally exhausting.

"By the way, please don't spread the word of my being here," Leaf gave him a nervous smile. She _was_ on vacation, and having a constant stream of challenges wasn't exactly relaxing. After a moment of anxiety inducing silence, he nodded. Bidding them farewell, he left to do whatever it was he did.

Leaf let out a sigh of relief, then turned back to her friends. Yellow had shifted her way over to Red and was making googly eyes at him, while the silent man himself didn't seem to mind. Blue and Leaf made eye contact. He raised an eyebrow in question, and she, after exaggerating a gag, nodded.

"How about we get to the hotel now?" Leaf carefully propositioned, looking between the lovebirds who were still in the painfully obvious 'will they won't they' stage of their relationship.

"Yes, let's," Yellow agreed. Red nodded.

"Okay then! How about I ride with Blue," It wasn't so much a question as a statement, given how she had grabbed his arm and was forcibly dragging him towards his own Fearow.

Glancing back, Yellow appeared to be both overly excited and panicked at the prospect of such physical contact with Red for any extended amount of time, so Leaf gave her a thumbs up of encouragement. Realization flash over Yellow's face before she gave the taller girl a death glare. Eh, Yellow would thank her later.

Once Yellow's suitcase was securely in Charizard's arms and the riders secured, the pokemon took flight, heading towards the hotel.

"You never did tell us why you decided to come here!" Blue yelled over the wind.

"I'll tell you later!" Leaf yelled back. Oh yes, she certainly would...

* * *

 **A/N Is your plant dinosaur just not big enough? We have just the solution! Mega Evolution; it gets you _bigger_ plant dinosaurs!**

 **I did draw a bit of inspiration from the manga for this, but this is my own fabrication.**

 **Now who ships RedxYellow? I wasn't originally planning it, but writing an adorable Yellow was just too tempting.  
**

 **Yeah, my thoughts are really disconnected this time, but I didn't want to make the wait any longer.  
**

 **Until next time~**


	4. The Pariah Dragon

**A/N Holy crap, two uploads** _ **not**_ **months apart!? Has hell frozen over?! ...yeah, this surprised me too. I thought it'd be at least a week before this was ready, but nope! Even though this is pretty short by my standards, take this as an apology for not uploading for so long.**

 **So after binging all of CoffeeIncluded's** _ **Alphabet Soup**_ **in an afternoon (which I highly recommend reading, if not so rapidly), I decided I wanted to write about Unova. So here you go.**

 **I also decided to shake things up a little with the presentation, mostly because of the subject matter but also so these don't get stagnant and boring.**

 **Any and all constructive criticism is appreciated, and please feel free to request particular characters, pokemon, regions, whatever.**

 **Until next time~**

* * *

It was freezing, moreso than usual. It drove the others away, far away. But it was for the best. He couldn't hurt them if they weren't near. His home was no longer a safe haven, sheltered from the world by the daunting canyon walls. Humans, despicable humans had tried to use his power for their own gain, but never again.

He slowly lumbered out of his long-frozen cave, into the weak light of winter. Stopping, he built up a blast of icy power. Some of it started leaking into the air, but he paid no heed as water vapor froze instantly upon contact with it, forming a light layer of artificial snow that powdered him.

He released the built-up energy, covering the crevices in the canyon wall in a thick layer of ice. Onto the next section, and repeat. Soon, but not soon enough, the entire area was encased on all sides with the deterring blockade. That would keep them away, away from him and his dangerous power. The humans would forever either shun him or let their greed for power overwhelm that fear.

Except… the human children who had fought on his behalf, the boy and the girl. They were seemingly untainted by the rest of their species, so willing to put themselves on the line for him. It was a paradox, one that troubled him long after he had returned to his cavern. It kept him from sleep, not that he needed it. But rest made time pass quickly, and allowed him reprieve from his waking thoughts.

* * *

A thunderous _crack_ echoed off the enclosed walls, jolting the pokemon awake. He must have drifted off without noticing, but there were more pressing matters. Mainly the aforementioned sound and the softer, yet shriller _hisssss_ that followed. A red glow at the mouth of the cave confirmed his fears.

Something was melting his ice.

Not only was it startling that something powerful enough to melt it was right there, as he knew of only two who could do such a thing, but the fact it was there to begin with was frightening. He had sealed the entire canyon off with thick sheets, yet still something had made its way straight to him.

His thoughts were cut short as the creature outside burst through the barrier. A familiar wave of heat washed over him, something he hadn't felt in a long time. And it confirmed his fears.

A large shape blocked the light streaming in, each step it took bringing it into view. As expected, Reshiram stood tall before the cowering dragon, seemingly emotionless as she stared at the remains of what she and Zekrom had once been. A cold, broken, empty shell.

Two figures appeared from the brilliant pokemon's shadow. A boy and girl. They were not the ones who had previously helped him, no these were slightly older, but something about them… it reminded him of the two. Maybe it was the fearless expression on their faces, or the pity - _pity_ \- in their eyes. He hadn't seen pity in a long time, at least not for him.

"I think Reshiram's scaring it," the girl hissed at her companion.

"Do you _really_ want to confront the pokemon that caused a temporary ice-age in half of Unova without a pokemon?" he sniped back, in a similar quiet tone. She glared at him. Muttering under his breath, he took out one of those red and white contraptions, which Reshiram soon shrunk into. But he did not put it away.

Slowly, the girl walked forward, each step confident yet not startling. The pokemon stumbled backwards, letting out bursts of cold air in warning. The girl continued, unperturbed.

"Shhhhhhh, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you, Kyurem," she murmured, still talking those carefully measured footsteps forward.

Kyurem shuffled back further, until it hit the wall. He was trapped between a rock and a hard place. It was not that he was in danger; far from it. But they were. He was dangerous, and despite how they were humans he had no wish to harm them.

"It's okay. You're safe. We just want to help," she continued in her smooth tone. Another step. Kyurem was flush against the stone now. One more, and she was right by him, stretching out a hand non-threateningly. He flinched when she touched him, tensing as she rested the digits lightly on the bridge of his nose. It took all his control to not let loose more frigid air. At such close range, it would be almost impossible not to harm her.

She continued murmuring softly, but he had long stopped trying to hear the words. Carefully, she leaned closer, resting her forehead against his, then her body. She was warm, almost painfully so to his naturally low temperatures, but it was somehow… comforting? Was that what this was?

"My name is Hilda," she whispered more clearly, starting to move her hands to Kyurem's neck. "I helped defeat Team Plasma two years ago, with my brother Toya." she tilted her head towards the boy, who was still clutching the capsule Reshiram was in.

"We didn't know about what Neo Team Plasma was doing until it was too late. I'm sorry w-we couldn't be here sooner." she started shivering against his scales despite her thick clothes, undoubtedly chilled by his unnatural body temperature. He tried backing away, but her grip stayed firm.

"I w-won't let you get hurt again, if only y-you let me. No more b-being forced to do anything." Hilda said a confidently as the cold would allow. With a shaking arm, she drew something from her bag. A capsule.

"You c-can come with us," The option stayed in her open, if not quaking, palm. She wasn't just taking him? No battle, like he had seen when the occasional trainer made their way to the canyon? Here she was, offering him everything he had ever dreamed of yet was denied. Company, attention, comfort.

Yet could he trust another human, knowing what the last one had done to him? He could still vividly remember the excruciating pain from when he had been spliced with Reshiram's DNA, the lucid dreams which turned out to be what had happened to him in that state. He had almost been forced to kill the young humans who were trying to save him.

He had to make his decision quickly. Her lips were turning blue and her skin was several shades paler than before, but she made no move to let him go. Determination shone bright in her eyes, contrasting her weakening body. Looking into them, Kyurem knew what his choice would be.

* * *

"That is, by far, the most harebrained thing I have ever seen you do, which is saying a lot," Toya admonished his twin, who was curled in the thick fur of her arcanine. In exchange for Cinder being her impromptu hot water bottle, Hilda was being subjected to the worrysome fire type licking her hair into a nightmarish version of her normal bedhead.

"Totally worth it," she grinned, clutching the pokeball in her hands tightly against her chest. Yes, definitely with it.

* * *

 **A/N I felt like these were getting pretty stale, what with the "girl protagonist is going about her business, gets in trouble because of somebody else, gets out of trouble" formula that I didn't even realize I was following until literally right now when typing this. So here's a breath of fresh air.**

 **Yes, I used Hilbert/Black/Toya/insert other's japanese name because that would be confusing otherwise. And made them siblings, because it makes more sense to my brain. Why else would two extremely similar people of the same age live in the same small town?**

 **And I gave the legendaries genders because it's a pain to call Kyurem "it" throughout the entire thing.**

 **So, until next time~**


	5. The Creator

**A/N Feel free to leave suggestions for characters, regions, whatever else in a review. While praise is nice ad I'm grateful I have at least one repeat reviewer, it just sorts feels empty after a while, y'know?**

 **Anyways, the story awaits!**

 **So, until next time~**

* * *

The week had started off normally. A little field work, time spent in the labs on generally safe experiments. The usual. Then the package had arrived.

Inside was a small ocarina-like object and a letter. The letter referred to the object as 'the Azure Flute', and gave instructions to bring it and all seventeen type plates to Spear Pillar, items Lucas had found over the course of his journey. That was the curious bit. The Plates, as far as research into them said, were a bit odd.

They weren't very large, each about the size of his palm and as thick as his thumb, but each had a unique carving in early Sinonian, and imbued with a faint trace of energy. Each clearly distinct, and upon further study each colored Plate resonated with a particular type, save the normal type.

After confirming that the Azure Flute wasn't dangerous and failing to trace the infuriatingly anonymous package, Lucas decided to head to Mount Coronet to see what would happen. It took a day to reach the base by Staraptor, and another week to climb due to the temperature being far too cold for most flying types.

As soon as he had stepped onto the symbol carved into the stone, the Azure Flute began resonating, a single unearthly tone pouring from the instrument. A whisper in the back of his mind told him to play it, even though he'd never sung or played a note in his life. But as if in a trance, he did so. Blowing air into the flute, the music played itself.

Soothing, transfixing… yet somehow primordial. Something in his bag shifted of its own accord, and he could feel the weight on his back lighten considerably. It turned out to be the Plates, flowing as if under the control of the song itself. They glowed in faint lights of the types they represented, pulsing and flickering.

They started orbiting around the center point of the carving about half a foot above the ground, slowly at first but gaining speed with each rotation. Whisps of the colored aura, or perhaps actual Aura, streamed from each Plate, gathering at the center as the glow brightened and the outlines of the stones blurred. A wind picked up as they moved, and Lucas had to squint from the bright sheen emanating from the disc.

When it died down, he could see the plates had slowed to a much safer pace, circling around the edge of a translucent platform that shimmered in every color. But that wasn't the only change. The thick tablets had gone from chipped slabs of stone to thinner, clean-cut hexagons with two extended edges that tapered to a smaller side, and shone like polished marble.

The platform was solid despite it's fluidly transparent surface, and it rose beneath him, carrying the transfixed trainer upwards. As it climbed, the rest of the world slowly faded out of focus. He couldn't feel the biting wind or see the evening sky. Even the mountaintop below became indistinct, replaced by a warmth seeming to radiate from everywhere, a soft dappled light.

The platform crawled to a stop, so smoothly he wouldn't have known if not for the room it had risen into. A huge vaulted hall, easily the size of a cathedral, so bathed in ethereal power it couldn't have come from the earth.

A step forwards, then another. With a frown, it suddenly came to mind that he might never see this place again, wherever and whatever it was. Taking the sketchpad he always had on him, mostly thanks to Professor Rowan drilling it into his skull, he started drawing a loose draft.

It was light, the preliminary lines created by low-pressured strokes and a soft pencil. Soon he switched to another tool, a harder pencil, which created much sharper and darker marks.

So engrossed was he in his recording of the palace that he hadn't noticed the arrival of another being until he had drawn it in its entirety. A large equine bodice of white, harsh angles and unnatural shapes which reminded Lucas of Porygon more than anything else. A large ring… no, ring wasn't the right word. Upon closer inspection, they were almost like wings, the golden arcs connected to, and surrounding, the main body by two buttresses each.

The creature, undoubtedly a Pokemon, radiated power, and not in a metaphorical sense. Literal swaths of energy emanated from the being, changing from its more solid form, almost reminiscent of a thick molasses only white and glowing faintly, to more standard forms of energy, such as heat and sound. Waves of warm air washed over Lucas, and a faint hum reverberated through the air.

But its eyes were the truly humbling sight. Piercingly red, as if they knew his entire life story at a glance, and cold. No, not cold. Calculated. Curious. Fascinated, even. But also demeaning, as if the creature was somehow… above him. While that was the literal case, as it was both at least ten times his size and floating a story above his head, Lucas felt as though he were a simple insect, being looked down upon by a researcher, ready to be inspected.

He promptly dropped the pad, which made a dull _thump_ against the floor. The pencil following soon after with a much clearer clattering. The sharp sound made him flinch. The impact had probably broken the tip, but that was the least of his troubles. The biggest of which was that he was currently being pulled into the air, presumably by psionic means.

 _There has not been a human in these halls for centuries_. A statement. The calm, almost mechanical sound seemed to reverberate from everywhere and nowhere at once, though obviously belonged to the Pokemon in front of him, who was probably also the cause of his biggest trouble.

 _How are you here?_ The voice took on a sharper, yet also dubiously curious, tone. It took a second to process what it had said. Lucas tried to speak, to explain himself, but the words wouldn't come. After a moment's contemplation, he decided on simply showing it the Azure Flute.

With said decision came the realization that he didn't know where he'd put the instrument. He'd been holding it earlier, but had switch out to the sketchpad and pencil. Slowly, he reached for his bag. The creature seemed content with observing what he was doing, else it probably would have simply frozen him in place. Fortunately, it didn't take long to locate the flute.

The Pokemon didn't seem exactly surprised when he revealed the flute, not that it was easy to tell to begin with.

 _How did this divine instrument come to your possession?_ This time, Lucas found he could speak. He quickly exposited how the Flute had arrived in a package, with a letter instructing him to bring it and one of each Plate to Spear Pillar. This didn't seem to surprise it, either.

After a moment of seeming contemplation, Lucas drifted back to the floor, alighting upon it as softly as a feather.

 _You may stay_ , the voice said. _Should you choose to come back to this place, you may enter. But do_ not _bring any others, or give away the secret of how to come here_. The tone it took was frightening, emanating power from the sound alone. Lucas could feel his legs shaking, begging to set his weight down.

The Pokemon turned away from him, clearly going to leave, when he blurted out two questions.

"What is this place?" and "Who are you?" It stopped, then looked back at him. Immediately, icy terror dripped through his body. Had he just offended this clearly powerful being?

 _Your species knew me by many names from many ages._ The Pokemon mused, sounding more amused than anything else. _The Creator, Father of the Earth and Sky, the Heavenly Being. My personal favorite is Arceus._

After a pause, Arceus continued.

 _As for this place… this is The Hall of Origin. I sculpted the universe from here, the walls building themselves as I worked._

It was at that point Lucas had to sit down. Given how there were no seats conveniently available, the floor sufficed. He sat on the ground with a dull _thunk_ , trying to wrap his head around the sheer weight of the information. It was several minutes before he regained enough wits to speak again.

"Why did you…?" He trailed off, mainly because Arceus had disappeared.

Professor Rowan _definitely_ wasn't going to believe this.

* * *

 **A/N So yeah. Thought I'd give Sinnoh some love, and what better way than capitalizing on the Arceus event they never actually released.**

 **Pearl was actually the first main-series game I really played, even though B/W is my favorite gen, XD was the first I played in the franchise, and the Ranger series have a special place among my favorites, so it's a little nostalgic for me. Even if I still haven't actually beaten the Elite Four because of the weird difficulty spike at the end… but enough of my grumbling.**

 **I'd contemplated having Lucas catch/otherwise befriend Arceus, except it's literally god, so I scrapped the idea.**

 **I think I might try Johto next, to make sure I hit all the bases before I start revisiting regions.**

 **Until next time~**


	6. Catnip

**A/N What, you thought I was going to actually be predictable? Sorry, no Johto today. On the other hand, I do have a not-quite-so serious one-shot, so that's something.**

 **Until next time~**

* * *

The ground flying beneath was a blur of patchwork, cities, forests, marshes flying past. Not quite as fast as he could go, but sometimes it was nice to have a more leisurely flight. Home was boring at the moment, despite the Battle Frontier, so just touring the rest of Sinnoh was good enough.

He started curving outwards, adjusting the flight path for the huge lump of stone and snow that so rudely sat down the middle of the region. Articuno was probably up at the peak, spraying blizzards every which way every time so much as a Snorunt twitched. Which was often.

It wasn't impossible to go straight over the peak, as his inner, though mostly outer, flames kept away the cold that prevented most pokemon flying over. But he didn't really want to deal with the usually intolerable Ice-type.

He scanned the ground as he turned lazily, flapping his wings every once in awhile but mostly relying on the updrafts of hot air that naturally surrounded him, only for something to catch his eye. Well, not quite. It was something in the air. Perhaps a scent, or simply the winds shifting.

Having nothing better to do, he shrugged, tilting his wings so they took him in the direction. Maybe something interesting would happen.

* * *

Furrowing her brow, Articuno glanced down the mountainside. Moltres kept to his path, giving her territory a wide berth, but she watched nonetheless. One couldn't be too wary of other Legendaries with type advantages.

Curiously, he peeled away from his current flight path, flying almost directly away from her at a much brisker pace. Confusing, given his seeming pension to laze around unless incentivized not to. She felt the sudden urge to follow.

Hopping forward a few steps, and disturbing the snow in the process, she opened her majestic wings to let the plumage glitter in the weak sunlight. Satisfied with the glimmer, she took off, scattering snowflakes and small ice crystals in her wake.

Rising far above even where the cirrus clouds formed, where only other Articuno and Rayquaza could safely fly without protection, she glided forwards, wings billowed out and stable. It wasn't quite as effective at holding altitude due to the thinness of the air, but that was fine. So long as she could spot the flames below without being seen.

In the ensuing time all to herself, the question of where Zapdos was flickered past in the wandering train of thought. Probably spending time in one of those terrible storms that weighed down feathers and, more importantly, dulled her icy sheen.

The Articuno shivered at the thought, something she hadn't even known possible, and decided to put that aside. Besides, it would be rewarding seeing why Moltres was flying with such uncharacteristic intent.

* * *

Zapdos sneezed, sending falling raindrops scattering in all directions as the thunderclap subsided. Stupid random chill in the air… If Articuno was messing with the weather again, she was going to pluck every single feather from the narcissistic bird-brain.

Deciding to zap the Ice-type on their next chance encounter, she continued on her way. It was curious to see what humans turned up around the route she called home, mostly because there was always a perpetual rainstorm. They had to be either crazy, traveling, or just plain weird.

Alighting atop a craggy outcrop, she took a moment to listen to the falling drops. It was quite soothing, the rhythm of pounding water only broken by the occasional flash of lightning and subsequent crash of thunder.

A sudden tug at her wings pulled her back into the air. An urge to speed off and take to the skies. Despite the small voice in the back of her mind nagging not to, she did just that. Soon she was above the thunderheads, flapping with little grace in the direction she was apparently heading.

A orange light ahead told her Moltres was apparently going the same. Strange, he was usually on Stark Mountain, partying with the local Heatran. Whatever. Not as though they were doing the same thing. ...Not that she knew what she was even doing.

* * *

It was all very amusing, watching the Birds as they drifted closer to each other. She, of course, had already figured out what was going on. Drawn by the same force, as illogical as that was. But those three were fun to toy with. She could delay her goal for a little while, if only to play with them.

* * *

Articuno circled a particular patch of forest, truly unsure as to why. It was at a much lower altitude than before, but that was so she could see. Then bumped into something, indignant squawking in surprise and pain. Surprise because she _just flew into something_ , and pain because the thing she ran into was also _on fire_.

Which, as it turned out, was Moltres.

" _What the- hey! Why are you following me?"_ he demanded as they recovered their flight paths, circling each other in a tight loop.

" _Why did you fly into me!?"_ she demanded back, choosing to cover her blunder with anger.

" _I was minding my own business, you ran into me!"_

" _Did not."_ If she could have blown a raspberry, she would have. But birds' beaks didn't accommodate for that action, so she settled with giving him the stink eye.

" _Did too,"_

" _Did not,"_

" _Did too,"_

" _Did n- aaaaaack!"_ Articuno was cut off by her own shrieks of pain, as something electrocuted her. Satisfyingly enough, Moltres was also under attack.

" _I swear one day I'm going to_ kill _you!"_ she threatened the descending shape that was, in fact, Zapdos.

" _No you're not,"_ the Electric-type replied blandly, clearly not concerned by the mounting anger of the other two. She was staring down at the earth, seemingly fixated on something there.

Articuno was about to retaliate, true to her words, when she looked down too. Just visible in a clearing, there was a human, setting about doing whatever human Trainers did to prepare food.

 _Dibbs._

" _No, it's mine,"_ Zapdos snapped, her already spiny wings bristling further with electricity.

" _I want it!"_ Moltres complained, his flames burning brighter by the second.

" _Mine,"_ Articuno, still fixated on the Trainer, said. " _You're a flaming naked chicken, it wouldn't want you."_

" _What did you say, you oversized frozen turkey?"_ Moltres growled back, a more extreme heat building in the back of his throat.

" _Shut up the both of you, I saw it first."_ Zapdos discharged a warning shot, but neither other was dissuaded. In fact, Articuno just wanted it even more. Letting out a screech, she engaged the others in a violent combat of electric bolts, random spurts of fire and flash-frozen feathers falling to the ground.

* * *

Mesprit grinned at the battling Birds above. So powerful, yet so easily swayed. But enough of that spectacle, entertaining though it was. She had her own ends to achieve.

Teleporting at careful intervals, she made her way to the Trainer she had caused her fellow Legendaries to start fighting over. She stopped right in the crook of a tree which gave her a nice view of the clearing.

The human was humming jovially to herself, preparing what appeared to be food for herself and her Pokemon, who were scattered about in twos or threes, aside from the Togekiss that was helping cook. But, more importantly, Mesprit could see the Trainer's bag.

A quick teleport, and the bag was around her neck. As silently as she could, she searched through the pockets. It didn't really matter if she looked, so long as- there!

* * *

"Gee, Togekiss, I wonder why there's bits of ice falling from the sky?" Dawn asked her Pokemon, who seemed to sigh. Eh, probably wasn't important. A bolt of electricity flew down, striking one of the trees, which was set on fire.

"Now, where did I put my bag…?" she wondered aloud, searching the nearby ground. She'd forgotten to grab the cookbook from it. Looking up a little, she could see it neatly arranged at the base of a tree, a seemingly full pokeball on the ground next to it. In the background, Empoleon was dousing the flaming greenery.

"Huh. Don't remember catching anything else," Dawn shrugged, picking up the bag and 'ball. The plain red and white capsule opened, the light inside forming into a familiar shape.

"Mesprit?"

A nod.

 _I wish to travel with you._ Mesprit's telepathic voice floated across her mind.

"Why me?" she asked, tilting her head quizzically.

 _You are like…_ the Legendary trailed off in thought. _I believe the appropriate simile is catnip._

* * *

 **A/N So yeah. Dawn is an oblivious Legendary magnet. I mean, given all of the roaming Legendaries naturally available in the games ( Mesprit, Moltres, Articuno, Zapdos, Cresselia), there's** _ **got**_ **to be a reason. And this one's just silly.**

 **No, I'm not sorry for what I did to Dawn. Totally worth it. Catnip.**

 **So, until next time~**


	7. Curtain Call

**A/N There is actually a reason for the lack of Johto stories. That being said, I feel like being evil and won't say why.  
** **This isn't really holiday-themed, as I post whenever I just so happen to be done, though I suppose it could count as a holiday update. I kinda wish I did have one ready, but oh well. Maybe next year.  
** **Speaking of the holiday season, have a merry Christmas/Hanukkah/other celebration and a happy New Year!  
-Storm  
~Until next time**

* * *

Rosa made her way through the crowded Nimbasa streets, weaving to-and-fro through the crowd with learned ease. Nimbasa Hall was barely a block away at this point, but would still take more time than was probably necessary to get to.  
 _I_ knew _we should have waited until after rush hour…_ Grumbling aside, she _had_ promised Arette they would register for a Musical today.

Finally out of the bustling streets, Rosa allowed herself to relax and take in the grandiose nature of the performance hall. The vaulted entrance certainly gave off the sudden feeling of insignificance, even though you entered from the second largest city in Unova. The glass chandelier clinked gently above, disturbed by the air rushing in.

The red carpets were thick and lush, splitting into three distinct paths. Two lead to the sides, up symmetrical curved staircases and into the raised seating areas, while the third went straight to the front desk.

Rosa marched forward, undaunted by the grand decorations.

She'd seen better.

"I'd like to register one of my Pokemon for a Musical," she requested of the first clerk available.

"Have any of your Pokemon registered for a Musical before?" He didn't even glance at her.

"No," she frowned, unimpressed. He efficiently set about procuring several sheets of paper from somewhere behind the desk.

"Register your Trainer information here and your Pokemon's information here," he pointed to the sheets in turn, then went straight back to his screen. "Select the type of Musical you wish to participate in and which roles your Pokemon could be skilled at filling, the level of performance will be selected at a later date."

"What happens after?" she asked as she pulled out her Trainer Card and a pen.

"You'll be required to submit a video audition of a practise performance or something similar, so they can evaluate your Pokemon's abilities," the clerk, Thomas, as his nametag said, droned on in as close to monotone as could be.

Rosa finished the paperwork, passing it back to Thomas for him to file. He glanced down at the one with her information, seemingly found nothing wrong, then switched over to Arette's. He froze, eyes widening.

"Are you sure this is correct?" he said after a moment, gesturing to the filled-out form.

"Of course," she huffed. "I know what my Pokemon are like."

"I see," he said, blinked, then went back to whatever he was doing after a moment.

* * *

The response time for the call-back was impressive. Given how popular musicals were, there must have been at least a good hundred new forms filled out daily.

Barely a week went by before she received a message on her X-Transciever. It was an automated call, probably tweaked by a Porygon or one of its evolutions so it had her information. Basically just a call-back, for a live audition instead of a video one.

"Hear that, Arette?" Rosa grinned down at the Pokemon perched on her arm so she could see the screen, still though it was. Arette trilled with excitement.

* * *

"Remarkable! Marvelous!" the director exclaimed, seemingly near tears with joy.

"I haven't seen such a beautiful performance in years!" He was definitely crying.

"Er, sir? That was just Arette's audition," Rosa said in placating tones, lifting Arette from the empty stage she had just auditioned on.

"Your Arette will be the lead in our next Expert Level performance!" the director proclaimed, an assistant bringing over a box of tissues, none the less perturbed by his outburst.

Arette trilled, her eyes shining with relief.

"You earned it," Rosa smiled, scritching her Pokemon just where she liked it.

* * *

After roles were assigned, a message was sent out with the practise schedule.

The first meeting was more of an ice breaker than anything, making sure all the Pokemon knew each other, going over the script so they knew what to expect.

There was a Dewott as the male lead, Bisharp and a few Pawniard as the villains, a Florge and Gallade as side characters, a Beautifly, Galvantula, Koffing and Beheeyem on special effects, several Smeargle and a Gurdurr on props and backdrops and a multitude of Gothorita, Rosalia, Mienfoo and even a Kirlia for less important roles.

There were Swablu, Kricketot, Chingling, Tympole and all their evolved forms for the soundtrack. A Duosion was on hand for translation, provided by the studio.

The second was basic blocking, where they were supposed to be for each scene, movements across the stage.

From there, the complexities only increased. Slowly but surely, as to not overwhelm the performers.

As it turned out, the director was quite demanding of his performers. Patient, yes, but strict. He saw them at their best, and demanded that be their normal.

* * *

Arette carefully inspected the custom costume laid before her by Rosa, going over every inch with a critical eye.

It was fairly simple, a sleeveless dress of tiered layers of shimmering black silk, frilled on each bottom edge which only accentuated the silver trim more. There were four zippers, carefully hidden on the underside so you wouldn't have known they were there without specifically checking.

The Pokemon nodded approvingly.

"Glad to see they made it to your exacting standards," Rosa joked, lifting both dress and Pokemon.

"Would you like to try it on?" An excited nod.

As it turned out, it looked gorgeous on her.

* * *

"You ready?" Arette took a deep, steadying breath, then nodded. Her features were set in dogged determination, not unlike that of when she battled.

"Break a leg!" Rosa called quietly, exiting backstage so she could get to the box reserved for the performers' Trainers.

She made it just in time, the curtains sweeping open to reveal the darkened stage.

A bright spotlight shone, highlighting a lone bowed figure through the glittering scales left behind by the Beautifly.

The music started, a simple tune of light, playful notes. A beginning.

The Pokemon straightened, finally coming into clear view of the audience.

They let out a collective gasp.

The Meloetta danced, her shimmering dress flaring lightly as she twirled across the floor. Her green hair trailed after, nearly creating a complete circle at some points.

The entire stage lit, revealing the set to be one of a meadow filled with extras looking in awe of the dancing Arette. Two thrones of roots and flowers sat at the very back, occupied by the pink Florges and Gallade, both wearing crowns, one silver one gold, shades of regal purple and looks of pride.

Meloetta came to a stop in front of the faux royals, curtseying, then looked up, searching for approval.

They smiled, then the 'king' took a thin silver circlet from a nearby conveniently in-reach tree stump. The 'princess' looked down, abashed, and let Gallade rest it on her head.

The lights went out, the next scene being prepared by Psychic types under the cover of darkness.

* * *

It opened on Arette skipping about, her path taking her towards a 'river'. Stooping by the bank, she picked a particularly vibrant flower. The music dipped suddenly, as something popped out of the water.

She stumbled backwards, startled, tripping over a clump of grass to land on the ground.

The something turned out to be a Dewott, a golden circlet on his head, who immediately offered a paw to help her up.

Cautiously, she offered him the hand not holding the wildflower.

With both of them on their feet, they watched each other with a new sense of alertness.

The general outcome was a mutual agreement to play together.

* * *

The lights were dimmed, from the previously bright light of midday to the dusk of evening.

The princess was kneeling in front of her parents, receiving what appeared to be a severe tongue-lashing.

She should not have stayed out so late, not with a boy she did not know. She was at risk, alone like that.

Arette was waved off, two Mienfoo escorting her house left.

* * *

It was midday again, in a presumably nearby forest. An alcove sheltered the area, which appeared to be where the princess slept.

A lush bed of woven grass and cotton, the trickling of a nearby stream, and Arette, sitting cross legged in the center with a pout on her face.

Several Gothorita stood around the edge, each holding a staff that helped channel Psychic power.

A Kirlia walked on stage, nodding to the guards, and approached the annoyed Meloetta.

After several failed attempt at cheering Arette up, one of which included juggling several startled Stunfisk for some reason, Kirlia seemed to get an idea, hushedly whispering it to her.

 _That_ got her attention, and a mischievous grin crossed both their faces.

They scuttled over to the bed which was, conveniently, against a large tree.

Working quickly, the two Psychic-types molded the cotton so it looked like they were under it, then the Kirlia Teleported them away.

The same meadow as before opened into view, a few moments later Kirlia and Arette appeared in a flash of light.

The princess took a deep breath, then turned to her playmate and smiled.

The music took a turn to the dramatic as several Pawniard lunged out of the tall grass, grabbing the two before they could do anything.

A Bisharp followed at a much more leisurely pace, smirking in triumph at the Fairy/Psychic and Normal/Psychic Pokemon, helpless with Metal Claws and Night Slashes, respectively, at their throats.

He motioned, and one of the Pawniard untied something from his arm. They turned out to be blindfolds, and the two prisoners were forcibly marched off.

The meadow was clear for only a moment when a figure emerged from the river.

There stood the prince, looking around in confusion.

Something caught his eye, and he slipped off in the direction the Pawniard had gone.

* * *

The next scene opened in a suspiciously well-lit cave, both Arette and Kirlia still blindfolded and tied up a smidgeon on the tight side in what looked like a String Shot, Pawniard on either side of each.

Bisharp made his grand entrance, complete with evil grin. He stopped in front of his captives.

Motioning to one of the Pawniard, it removed Arette's blindfold. She glared at him.

That only made him grin wider. Clapping sharply (though that might have been because Bisharp could _only_ clap sharply), a couple Roselia stepped into view, holding what was clearly a wedding dress between them.

Arette spat at Bisharp.

His eyes narrowed.

Motioning again at a Pawniard, this time it pressed its claws against Kirlia's throat, who squeaked with fear.

Arette subsided slightly, checking herself, before looking Bisharp in the eye and nodding with clear resignation.

Bisharp's evil cackling was interrupted by a blue blur. Dewott slapped the surprised villain across the face with one of his Razor Shells, landing neatly before the two captives.

He turned, grinned assuredly at the two, then began laying a beat-down on the nearest Pawniard.

Despite the prince's clear skill, he began to lose the battle. For every one he knocked down, two took their place. Eventually the Rosalia caught him in several layers of Grass Knots.

He struggled against his bindings, desperate to escape them, until at last he reached his limit.

The Kirlia was in tears, originally of relief but now fear.

Arette, on the other hand, looked startled, which soon turned to fury.

She cried out in anger, and-

A Smokescreen covered her half of the stage, though Rosa knew what was happening beneath.

Light shone from inside the cloud, illuminating it for a moment.

It suddenly billowed out, thinning its concentration enough to see a vague figure was darting about.

A Pawniard flew out of the smoke, smashing into a wall. Another bounced, sliding to a stop.

As Bisharp stepped forward, clearly alarmed, when a omnidirectional pulse of psychic power cleared the smoke.

Arette stood there, sinking into a combat stance that looked quite like a dance position. The most startling part was that she looked quite different.

Her flowing green hair had turned russet red, piled on her head instead, her silk dress unzipped so that the four petals her natural 'dress' had in Pirouette Form could be seen.

The Meloetta jumped into action, striking out at the Grass Knots and slicing through with ease. Jumping from opponent to opponent, she bought enough time that Dewott had untangled himself.

They nodded to each other, and went on the offensive.

Together with Kirlia, who had also been freed, they fought back.

The battle was long and well fought, but they were holding ground against the considerably larger force of Pawniard and Roselia.

Bisharp was finally forced to fight them himself. Powerful though they were together, he had a significant size and experience advantage.

Finally, though, it came to a draw. Distracted by Arette and Dewott, he hadn't the time to block the Fire Punch from Kirlia, and he collapsed.

It took a moment for it to register, but it was - _finally_ \- over. They cheered, then walked offstage.

* * *

It was at that point one of the stagehands entered the viewing box and informed the trainers they needed to go backstage.

They had known it was coming, but a few still sighed in disappointment. They'd all seen the dress rehearsal, but there was just something special about the performance itself.

In the blink of the eye, Rosa found herself backstage, ready to go out and bow with the rest of the cast, then on the stage itself, looking out into the cheering crowd.

The stage lights made sure she couldn't see any of the audience clearly, but it was enough.

Arette, back in Aria Form, had settled into her usual spot atop her Trainer's shoulder, waving. A few tears of joy had actually fallen from her eyes, and Rosa smiled.

They would have to do this again.

* * *

 **A/N In this particular world, Pokemon Musicals work a bit differently. They're more challenges for directors, seeing if they could pull together a performance from a wide pool of registered Pokemon, with different pools for different themes.**

 **The audience also don't know exactly what Pokemon is playing which part, just the name of the play. It's kind of a gamble for them, whether or not the casting choices were good or not. It's all part of the experience.**

 **As for why the Kirlia didn't just Teleport them all out… she was blindfolded, so didn't know** _ **where**_ **they were, much less a safe place to teleport to.**


	8. Expectations

" _What say you, Virizion?"_ Cobalion asked her comrade, who was clearly contemplating the matter at hand in complete seriousness, as was expected of the task.

" _I'm not sure,"_ he admitted, then glanced over towards Terrakion for her opinion.

" _Hmmm… perhaps it would be best that we each choose,"_ she suggested.

" _Yes, but is it really worth it?"_ A note of worry colored the pink Legendary's voice.

" _I don't see why not,"_ Terrakion answered gruffly.

" _Would it not be more efficient to get one, though?"_ he answered back in a slightly argumentative tone.

" _Yes, but then there would be fewer options,"_ she insisted, earning an eyeroll.

" _It's not about more options, it's about the best option,"_ Virizion insisted, slightly more forcefully this time.

" _Please,"_ Cobalion interjected before her fellow Swords of Justice could start a less friendly, and more importantly less focused, debate. " _Let us remain calm in the face of this adversity."_

A thunk sounded from the fourth seat of the table. The cause, as it turned out, was the head of the newest member of the Swords of Justice hitting the wooden surface in exasperation.

" _Guys. We're ordering dinner, not saving the world,"_ Keldeo mumbled into the tablecloth. " _Besides, all of Nate's other pokemon have already ordered. Let's just get a big pizza with lots of toppings."_

The others agreed momentarily.

* * *

 **A/N In case it wasn't clear: Cobalion is female, Virizion is male (and shiny!), Terrakion is female, Keldeo is gender ambiguous and this takes place post BW2.**

 **Why?**

 **Why not.**


	9. Origins

Red approached what was, at least conceptually, his most powerful pokemon. They hadn't really explored exactly how much power output he had. Mewtwo was, as per usual, reading a book high above the human's level of general knowledge (this time astrophysics).

"...?" Mewtwo looked up at his trainer's question.

" _What do you mean 'Where did I come from?'"_ The legendary frowned.

"..."

" _Well, yes, I did come from somewhere,"_ he said as if it was obvious. " _Did you not have The Talk or…?"_

"...! ...?"

" _Oh, right. Same as the other legendaries. Arceus made the world and through direct acts of incredible power, His and other legendaries', life sprung forth."_

"...?"

" _Me specifically? Well… Mew are odd. They weren't quite_ created _, more as they came into being through the vast amount of concentrated leftover energy from the world being made."_

"..."

" _Yes I am!_ Mew _two, it's in the name."_

"-... ..."

" _I suppose you have a point. In which case… how_ was _I created?"_ Mewtwo seemed perturbed at this sudden revelation.

"...?"

" _How am_ I _supposed to know where the mega stones come from? It's not my jurisdiction."_ The legendary picked his book back up, clearly not wanting to burn out from a discussion that questioned fundamentals of the universe.

* * *

 **AN In case you're wondering, Mewtwo** _ **is**_ **a psychic pokemon. One would think mind reading is fairly simple for a legendary.**


	10. Beasts Pursued: Part 1

**A/N I LIVE YET! And here is that super-secret reason for the previous lack of Johto.**

 **Also part one** _ **of four**_ **. You know what that means? Actually consistent uploads for a month! ...mainly because I just started writing but then I had to add lore and it turned out four times longer than Return to Lumiose.**

 **Think of this as a celebration of me finally getting around to writing stories in each region.**

 **Is there's something you didn't like, tell me. Through review, pm, whatever. I can't read minds, so I can't take your opinions or ideas into consideration if you don't tell me.**

 **If you do review, it might take a bit for me to respond despite notifications. This story in particular has been hit by spam reviews, so there's not much I can do about it.**

 **So, until next time~**

* * *

Their lives had started that day five hundred years ago, when Father had created them. What they had been before mattered little, if they were anything at all, for they started anew in every sense. They had purpose and family, which was enough for them.

Over their five centuries of living, they grew stronger, swifter. Their purpose as messengers became easier, to the point where it was almost dull. Every so often there were humans who sought them, some with more innocent intentions than others, and were usually fun to toy with for a bit.

Then Eusine appeared.

The trio had dealt with the occasional collector before, all of which had eventually given up the chase. But Eusine didn't. It seemed his entire purpose in life was his single-minded drive to capture her. Just her, not her brothers as well, but given the chance he'd probably take them too.

Suicune padded in circles, streamers flicking in agitation. A rare occurrence, given her generally calm demeanor stereotypical to most water types.

" _Sit down, you're going to get Raikou riled up,"_ Entei spoke from where he was lazing, though didn't sound very concerned.

" _I'd like to see how you deal with a human completely obsessed with your very existence!"_ she sniped back, though did manage to sit. A wound up Raikou would just attract attention, the last thing she wanted at that moment.

" _You know exactly what I would do,"_ Entei pointed out. Yes, she knew very well. Find Eusine, then scare him to the Distortion World with copious amounts of fire, probably causing plenty of collateral damage in the process.

" _The offer is still open, you know,"_ the Fire-type started, but Suicune shook her head, her purple mane swishing back and forth. While she hated being so persistently pursued, it was against her moral compass potentially injure the man.

Entei was undoubtedly the one with the most raw power, holding command over forces both dangerous and unstable, and angering him was a sure way of setting off the nearest volcano. She shuddered just thinking of poor Cinnabar. His usually laid-back attitude was an almost necessary safeguard against such events.

Of her siblings, she was inherently the least destructive due to her base element, and as such was given more of the observation missions. To eavesdrop on Elite Four meetings to learn what they knew, or monitor alarming situations. Over time she had grown somewhat attached to the humans and their quirks, and it pained her to purposefully harm one, mentally, emotionally or physically.

" _Fine by me either way."_ Entei shrugged, going back to his nap.

" _Maybe you could-"_ Raikou started excitedly, standing and prancing from paw to paw, when Suicune interrupted him.

" _No, I won't run circles around him til' he's dizzy. Nor will I startle him with electric attacks I can't even use."_ she pointed out blandly. Raikou sat back down, slightly embarrassed.

She started repeatedly tapped the ground with a forepaw, and while it wasn't really helping her think, she felt a little better.

The creaking of footsteps on the remaining upper floor paused her abuse of the ground. Immediately the three went into high alert, all standing tensed, ready to fight or flee at a moment's notice.

Given the recognizable _pop_ of a Pokeball opening, it was probably just a trainer capitalizing on an opportunity to train, but that wasn't exactly comforting.

Suicune motioned to her brothers, tossing her head towards the route they used to quickly leave the Burned Tower. With silent, practiced steps, they began making their way to the back of the basement. There they stood, ready to leap to the various overhangs and beams that constituted their exit path.

More footsteps, these heavier, more confident. Arrogant, even. Voices floated down, one clearly annoyed while the other was fairly indifferent. More _pop_ s, the sounds of Pokemon crying out as they fought.

Suicune frowned, confused. The Burned Tower was hardly an ideal place to hold a battle due to the unstable nature of the building. Dust drifted down, knocked loose from the floorboards by the battling Pokemon above. They weren't the strongest out there, given how nothing was collapsing, but they weren't lightweights either.

The shuffling and creaking died down as a victor emerged. The confident steps turned to stomps, the evident looser leaving the tower in a huff. The first set of steps continued towards the overhang the basement was visible from, and Suicune gathered the North wind around herself as she tensed again, ready to jump if a face became visible.

The steps stopped a moment, before another set, unlike the previous two yet still familiar, rushed through the upper layer. She groaned inwardly. Of _course_ Eusine had to show up. Eusine slowed down as he caught up with the first human, his voice floating down in snippets as he undoubtedly exposited something about her.

The pair continued, more tentatively now that they were close to the edge, and their faces peered over the ridge. The one in front was young, a backwards cap covering most of his dark hair. He seemed innocently curious more than anything. Then Eusine showed his face, going from calm and collected to excited as a child in a candy shop as he spotted her.

" _Run!"_ Suicune barked to her brothers, who definitely didn't need telling twice. They bounded away, traces of their elements trailing behind from the way they boosted themselves. She was about to follow when a great _crack_ split the air, followed closely by a surprised yell which soon turned to one of fear. Without thinking once, Suicune dug her claws in for leverage and shot towards the falling boy.

Using her gathered wind to soften the landing, she looked at her passenger. The boy was awkwardly sprawled on her back, startled but otherwise perfectly fine. Kneeling down, he carefully slid off, one hand trailing on her short fur for stability. It took a moment to register, but she realized that was the first time a human had touched her. It felt… nice.

Eusine's footsteps started rushing towards the ladder, and she bounded away before he could come any closer. With her usual speed boost dissipated and little time to summon it back, she pushed a little water out of her paws with each step, making her gait more efficient. A few moments of parkouring around the building and she leapt over the blackened walls to freedom.

" _What happened in there?"_ Raikou was the one to ask. Entei was probably curious as well, but he wouldn't have shown it.

" _The floor crumbled and the other human fell,"_ Suicune started to explain, only to be interrupted by Entei.

" _And you just had to help out,"_ he drawled, sitting on his haunches and licking a paw in false indifference.

" _It was that or fret he had been seriously injured,"_ she explained herself, playfully flicking her fire-typed brother with a streamer as she did so.

" _Either way,"_ she continued, turning so that she was facing both her brothers, " _For the next few months we need to stay clear of the Burned Tower. Eusine will spend every moment he can spare crawling over the place."_

" _Ooo, are we going to one of the other places?"_ Raikou might as well have been a Spoink, given all the bouncing he was doing.

" _We have no other choice,"_ Suicune agreed. " _Raikou, scout out the backup areas. Preferably choose one rather far from here,"_

" _You got it, Sis!"_ Electricity flowed to his legs for a moment, then he bolted off as a yellow blur, leaving naught but a slight greasy feel in the air. Being consistently supercharged with electrical energy had its bonuses.

* * *

" _Is this really necessary?!"_ Entei complained over the noises of the waves. Fortunately for him, the tailwind carrying him also carried the sound to Suicune.  
" _We're trying not to attract attention. Steam explosions do not help to that end,"_ she deadpanned back. Entei was just as fast as her, but not without the aid of his fire-boosting, so they had long ago worked out that she could use her tailwind to help him along in cases like this.

He grumbled slightly, but apparently decided arguing wasn't worth it. They were already approaching the Cianwood shore, mere miles from the reserve Raikou had scouted out. Not only was there an entire ocean between the island and mainland, but Ecruteak was very much landlocked, so it was unlikely Eusine would track them down quickly. Even if that _did_ happen, they could always just escape across the waves.

Suicune landed on the beach, dissipating the tailwind she'd been sustaining as Entei came in. A small shockwave of displaced air burst out as Raikou suddenly braked next to them, his hindquarters digging a trench as he skidded almost all the way to the other end of the beach, before turning and coming back relatively slowly. Relatively as in going about five meters a second as opposed to five hundred.

" _So what now?"_ Raikou asked, twitching his tail back and forth which caused a bit of static charge to build up in it.

" _We carry out our duties from here,"_ Suicune said, choosing to stay away from the electrical buildup her energetic brother was unintentionally generating.

" _After all,"_ she added, " _It's not like he'll find us here any time soon."_

* * *

" _You have_ got _to be kidding,"_

" _Nope,"_ Entei said cheerfully, seeming to lavish in his sister's misery.

" _He's here. On the island."_ Suicune repeated, each word straining a bit on her already threadbare hope that Eusine would one day leave her be.

" _Yup,"_ he wasn't even _trying_ to hide his grin. She definitely had something for that.

" _And if he does catch me?"_ she probed, " _What if I'm not enough for him? What if he goes after you or Raikou next?"_ Her brother blanched, quite a difficult feat for a creature covered in long brown fur.

" _I think I hear Father calling me, seeya!"_ The words tumbled out as he dashed off to anywhere but there, at speeds most wouldn't think he was capable of. Suicune held back a flicker of amusement as she heard the tell-tale geysers of boiling seawater that signified Entei boosting across the open ocean.

A quiet gasp broke through that amusement, drawing her attention behind her. Fearing for the worse, she preemptively tensed and built up wind around her paws as she turned.

Fortunately, it was not her stalker. There stood the boy she had saved months back, and she got a better look at him. There were few physical differences, as it _had_ only been a few months, but he exuded completely new airs. His stance had a bit more confidence, which didn't quite mesh with the more cautious steps she had heard in the Tower. Amusingly, his cap was still backwards.

Eyes shining with simple curiosity - which of itself was an uncommon reaction - he took a few steps towards her.

"Thank you," were the first words from his mouth. Suicune tilted her head in confusion. "For saving me, I mean," he clarified. "I didn't have a chance to say because you left so quickly."

Knowing her native tongue sounded like gibberish to most humans, she nodded, releasing her hold on the north wind and relaxing her muscles to show she accepted.

If anything, this was a unique opportunity.

The boy advanced further, making sure to show he wasn't a threat. As soon as he was close enough, he held out a hand palm-up as if asking to stroke her fur.

Suicune nuzzled the hand, mostly out of curiosity. She'd seen many caught Pokemon do so, and it was not often a chance like this occurred for her. At first he seemed taken aback, almost as if it hadn't even crossed his mind that she would accept, then started stroking her fur.

It was an odd sensation. Not bad, mind you. Just unfamiliar.

"I'm Ethan," the boy introduced himself. "Though I suppose I won't see you again, at least not like this," Ethan finished with a half-hearted chuckle.

She was about to respond when another, much louder, voice called from behind Ethan.

"Suicune! How I've longed to see you!"

Backpedaling away from the boy, the Legendary could see Eusine approaching. She let out a low growl, lowering into a hunting crouch as she did so. There was no mistaking her animosity.

Eusine's approach faltered.

"But… why?" There was a pitiable tone to his voice. Heartbroken, almost. It nearly made her feel sorry for the man.

"I… you take favor to a mere _child_ over me?! One who has devoted their life to searching you out!" Suddenly, she didn't feel so bad about the situation. Leaping onto the surf, she dashed out of sight, then curved her run so she ended up near the two Trainers, in a clump of bushes large enough to hide in.

"You!" Eusine was furious, glaring daggers at Ethan.

"Battle me! Right here, right now for the right to Suicune's affections!" Said Beast let out a small huff. Ethan seemed to agree.

"That's not how it works," he argued back. "You have to earn Suicune's respect, same as any Pokemon!"

"What would you know of Suicune's wishes? I spent my life studying it!" That made _her_ cringe. Dozens of legends and not _one_ mentioned she was female?

"I already told you-" Ethan was cut off by the flash and sound effect of a Pokeball opening. Eusine's Pokemon, a Drowzee, stood ready to fight.

Forced into battle, the other trainer begrudgingly sent out one of his own Pokemon. An Umbreon appeared on the sand, took in the situation, and started growling at the Psychic-type. Drowzee suddenly looked much less willing to fight.

The ensuing battle was very one-sided, the Drowzee only landing a few feeble strikes before it went down. The following Haunter was out just as quickly despite the usually solid hit-and-run tactics Ghost-types tended to used, but left a much larger impact.

Paralyzed from one of the Ghost's attacks, Umbreon fell to the Electrode, unable to battle effectively.

"Thank you, Umbreon," Suicune's ears picked up the low mutter Ethan spoke to the Pokeball containing the creature, before sending out his next.

"If you don't want to fight, Shuckie, that's fine," he told the Shuckle he had sent out. After a moment of deliberation, the small Pokemon nodded confirmation and turned to square off against its opponent.

The Electrode was rolling back and forth in the sand, using the static to help Charge itself.

"Sticky web!" Ethan called out. In response, Shuckie tuck himself into his shell. Moments later great globs of Sticky Web shot out. Unfortunately, they all either missed or were dodged by the speedy Electric-type, who retaliated with a Thunderbolt.

"Withdraw!" a last-second attempt to block, but the bolt managed to get in a little damage.

"Rock Throw, around the edge of the field," Ethan's unorthodox command seemed to confuse both the Shuckle and Eusine. After hesitating a moment, Shuckie carried it out, tucking into his shell to expel rocks just like he had the Sticky Web. Several of the boulders were blown apart by bolts of electricity after the first few strikes splashed harmlessly off the Shuckle's natural armor.

It was too late when Eusine realized what Ethan was doing.

"Sticky Web!" the rocks switched back to blobs of goo, but this time Electrode didn't have anywhere to run, having been fenced in by the Rock Throw. It got pegged square in the face with one, then rolled into another as it tried to blindly escape.

"Self-Destruct!" The Electrode executed the last-ditch order, the displaced air rushing in all directions away from the blast. It had succeeded in destroying the Web, but it was too late.

Several rocks came hurtling down, hitting the Electric-type in quick succession. Combined with the Self-Destruct, there was no way for it to continue.

Suicune didn't stick around after that. There was too high a chance of being spotted. But, she couldn't help but feel a little bit smug. Eusine had had it coming.

* * *

 **A/N I did check: as of gen 7 Suicune can learn exactly zero electric moves, not counting Hidden Power and Nature Power.**

 **I know I was a bit harsh on Eusine, but this** _ **is**_ **from Suicune's POV. I doubt she likes him very much.**

 **Thought I'd throw in a nod to one of Entei's Pokedex entries, where it mentions his roars can cause volcanoes to explode. Gotta have** _ **some**_ **form of continuity (even though the Pokedex is a hypocrite on its own).**


	11. Beasts Pursued: Part 2

**A/N Part two, not much else to say aside from my usual shpeal.**

 **Friendly request to please review and all that jaz. I write for the fun of it, but hearing ways to improve is definitely a selling point.**

 **So, until next time~**

* * *

It was curious. Suicune would rarely ever meet the same human twice, bar ones she specifically sought out like the Elite Four or the Kimono Girls of Ecruteak. Yet, here he was again.

He had seemed just as surprised as she when he wandered into the out-of-the-way groove late in the evening. Suicune had been taking a break at the time, as she'd been dashing around the Kanto-Johto continent on errands for Father. Normally that wouldn't have been much effort, but she'd had an encounter with a particularly prickly Zapdos. Least to say, she was tired. Having finished her duties, she decided to simply sleep there in the forest.

It wasn't uncommon for the siblings to sleep away from each other. They each had duties usually specific to them - Raikou carried messages continents over, Entei helped handle natural disasters and Suicune gathered information from the humans - which carried them far apart. Those duties often overlapped, but generally that's what they did. But they always preferred to be together, be it from familiarity or otherwise.

After asking the local Pokemon if she could stay and requesting they alert her if any humans strayed near, as unlikely as that was, she settled down to wait for sleep. A few younger Pokemon scurried about the edge of the clearing, obviously curious yet too shy to approach.

Then the local Spearow started raising an uproar, flapping wildly about and cawing loudly. Suicune bolted upright, startled more by the cause than the actual ruckus. She was gathering wind around her limbs in preparation for as fast a sprint as she needed when the voice of the human came through the various birds.

"Flash, Umbreon!"

A blinding light, well, _flash_ ed through the trees, dazing the closest Spearow so badly they fell from their perches. Others were simply startled enough they stopped crowing. Suicune froze as well, though for a different reason.

"Jeez, why did that happen?" Ethan's voice floated through the undergrowth, along with the deadpanned meows of his umbreon answering, not that he could understand the exact meaning. That shook the remaining conscious Spearow back to reality, prompting them to continue assaulting any near eardrums. Suicune barked to quiet them down, only for it to turn into a low-powered Roar.

It certainly made the bird Pokemon stop, scattering them and all the other nearby wild Pokemon. There was a distinctive _pop_ as the umbreon escaped from the sound by returning itself. Ethan stumbled into the clearing, shaking his head as staggered footsteps carried him forward.

Suicune padded forwards automatically, letting Ethan lean against her as he recovered equilibrium and hearing.

One of the Pokeballs on his belt opened of its own accord, the light fading to reveal the Dark-typed Eeveelution. The female umbreon looked up at her, blinked, then spoke.

" _I guess that explains it, then,"_ It was at that point Ethan seemed to recover.

"We should really stop meeting like this," That made the Legendary chuckle softly, simultaneously making her aware that Ethan was, in fact, touching her again. She decided to let him.

"What're you doing h- no wait, stupid question," Ethan cut himself off. Suicune tilted her head, attempting to ask the same of him. Thankfully, he seemed to understand.

Sitting down, he talked as he unpacked his rather large backpack.

"I was planning on trekking through the caves to get to Blackthorn, but it's too late to get started now." Even with the bias of waterwalking, she knew that the route over the river was generally easier to travel, at least for Trainers with Pokemon who could swim.

Suicune then had to step back as Ethan pulled out a sleeping bag. Swiping a hand over his forehead, he touched each of the Pokeballs on his belt in turn, bar the last. He hesitated at that one, then seemed to decide against it.

Three more Pokemon appeared, the flashes a bit harsh in the evening light. There stood a typhlosion, low flames licking at his neck, a togekiss, and the shuckle she had seen previously.

"You can watch, if you want." Ethan offered Suicune, before turning back. "Alright, here's the plan," He addressed his pokemon. Suicune leaned in, her curiosity getting the better of her. She hadn't had the chance to see a training session like this up close.

"Typhlosion, you've been relying pretty heavily on your superior firepower since you evolved, so you should start trying to train your speed again. Togekiss, since you recently evolved you need to get used to your new body. Typhlosion, you need to tag Togekiss without using any Fire attacks. Togekiss, you need to dodge." The two pokemon nodded, going off to practise as Ethan turned to his other two.

"Shuckie, you need to work more on controlling your speed after Rock Polish. Umbreon, you need more practise with using Protect, Reflect and Light Screen on short notice. So Shuckie, you chase Umbreon, who will only use one of those three moves. Be careful not to hurt each other." With that, Ethan took the last Pokeball from his belt with a _click_. Suicune sat down, watching Typhlosion and Togekiss playing what was essentially tag, but cocked one ear back so she could hear.

The human took a deep breath, then opened the 'ball.

Even turned away, she could see the light inside solidify into a large creature, easily towering over everyone there. A Gyarados formed, his scales an unusual red, who then backed away to give himself more room and scowled down at his trainer. Ethan sighed, evidently having expected this reaction.

"I don't know why you don't like me, Gyarados," he admitted carefully, as though the lines were somewhat practised. "But I would like to, to get to know you as I have my other friends." The Shiny snorted, as if the mere idea was insulting.

" _It took your entire team just to catch me. What good are you for?"_ Ah ha! The root of the problem. Ethan, however, couldn't understand.

Suicune stood, approaching the gyarados without the fear most Pokemon would show. To his credit, he didn't jump when he saw her. His eyes went wide as he looked down, seemingly humbled in front of her. It was a bit funny, given he was more than twice her height.

" _Follow me,"_ it was more of a request, but Gyarados acted as though it was a direct order. She padded to the edge of the clearing, in the direction of the river. The idea was that the burbling of the water would cover their voices somewhat. Gyarados's red scales glistened as he moved, a good indication of health.

" _Why do you dislike your trainer?"_ she asked softly. He answered almost immediately.

" _He is young, inexperienced. I would be wasted on him,"_

" _And how long has he been your Trainer?"_

" _Nearly a month,"_ he answered slower, as if a little unsure of the answer.

" _I see,"_ she said simply, taking a moment to process the information.

" _Pardon, but why would you care, great Suicune?"_ He asked tentatively, as though he were almost afraid of the answer.

" _Most Trainers would have given up on you by now,"_ she observed neutrally, choosing to momentarily ignore his question.

" _Most Trainers who would dare catch me would be strong,"_ Gyarados countered firmly, seeming to not understand what she was getting at.

" _Maybe, but all Trainers have to start somewhere. Including the great ones,"_ Suicune pointed out mildly. " _It could be that you are the one who is not good enough for Ethan, by not giving him a chance to prove himself to you."_

He seemed to take in her two Poke, then nodded.

" _Very well,"_ he agreed, if not a little begrudgingly. " _I will try. If you do see something in him I can't, it'll be worth it."_

Both their attentions were caught as Ethan shouted something over the general din.

"Dinner!"

All the Pokemon were set into what was apparently their routine. Togekiss flew off towards the river, Shuckie made his way towards the nearest tree, picking up sticks along the way, while Typhlosion carefully burned away a section of grass, making sure it wasn't spreading. Gyarados worked slower, seemingly less sure of his tasks than the others.

Suicune stood a little ways away, observing as the trainer and his Pokemon worked together to set up the campsite. The shuckle came back with a bundle of firewood in one appendage, setting it just to the side of the blackened ground. He then spit out a few carefully placed rocks, which formed a fire ring. The Bug put some of the dead branches into that as Typhlosion lumbered back over holding a pot.

Togekiss appeared back over the treeline, flying significantly slower than before. It became clear as to why when a bubble of water followed, surrounded by the faint glow of Extrasensory. As she deposited the water into the pot, Typhlosion lit the campfire.

It was almost hypnotising how they worked in tandem, everything running like clockwork. Within half an hour everything was set up, from the pot, which turned out to be soup, bubbling merrily over the fire, several fish cooking on skewers, potatoes in tin foil baking on the hot rocks, and finally the friends - as it was evident that was what they were - sitting about the fire. Ethan turned his head, looking about.

"Would you like something to eat, Suicune?" he asked, holding up a metal bowl filled with soup. She was about to shake her head, but her stomach decided otherwise. A loud rumble of hunger sounded out.

Suicune decided that her paws were suddenly very interesting.

There were a few quiet chuckles, but most everyone stayed silent, probably because they didn't feel it wise to laugh at something as powerful as she.

It gave her a twinge of loneliness. Most Pokemon reacted that way, other Legendaries notwithstanding. Ethan, however, apparently had no such fear.

"Come here, then," he scooted over the ground a few feet, making room for her in their ring around the fire. Hesitantly, she moved forward, settling into the spot he had motioned, and he set the dish in front of her. The Pokemon on her other side, Shuckie, nervously shifted away from her.

It was quite enjoyable, all things considered. Ethan turned out to be a decently good cook, though perhaps that was because his occupation demanded it. After a while of awkwardness, the silence was broken by one of the Pokemon asking her a question. Then another, and others joined in, seemingly cured of nervousness. By the time they had fallen asleep, Suicune had come to a decision.

She was gone by dawn.

* * *

" _Father?"_ the call echoed around the Burned Tower, conveniently empty aside from the owner. A great flame burst to life in space where the first story floor would have been. A rush of wind picked up, distorted by the heat of the fire. As it faded away, a rich voice answered.

" _Yes, Suicune?"_ Ho-Oh addressed his effective daughter.

" _I have encountered a human recently… one who understands the core of being a great trainer,"_ she started nervously. She had occasionally pondered the question before, but she had never truly wanted to know the answer. Now, though, she wanted to find out. Ho-Oh took in her words, unreadable as always. She decided to cut to the chase.

" _I wish for your blessing to be caught,"_

There was a long pause, in which she simultaneously prepared for her Father's wrath and hoped to Arceus above he would allow it.

" _I could not stop you if I wanted, though I appreciate you asking beforehand,"_ The Legendary fluttered to the ground light as a leaf, quite contrary to what his size bade you expect.

" _I trust your judgment in this matter. If you believe in this human, so do I,"_ Suicune could feel relief flooding through her veins.

" _Thank you, Father,"_

" _Do not thank me yet,"_ the words were ominous, but he spoke them with a chuckle. " _There are tasks to be done before you can be free to pursue your wishes."_ Suicune immediately thought of her duties, which would not easily be taken care of in her absence.

" _Of course, Father."_

" _I will see what I can do,"_ he adjusted his wings slightly in preparation of takeoff. " _Be prepared to heed my call in the next few months,"_ Ho-Oh advised her, then took to the air, great wings beating a few times before he rose. A flame similar to the one he had arrived in flared to life, dying after a few moments to reveal nothing but empty air.

He always had been a bit of a show-off.

* * *

Suicune leaped, flying over entire hills, and landed on the water's surface. Her paws gripped it as if it were dry land, then burst off again, the wind curling behind as she bent the air. Father had summoned her, as he said he would, and she was duty-bound to answer the call. That and she was at least a little eager to be free to be a caught Pokemon, contradictory as it sounded.

She soon arrived at her destination, slowing down to a quick trot as she approached. It… certainly wasn't what she had expected. Smoke rose in billowing plumes of black against the dusk sky, blotting out huge swaths of it. Patches of glowing embers were the only remains of the forest fire, but the damage had been done. A great chunk of Ilex Forest had been lost, to natural or artificial means only Arceus knew.

Lowering her body against the water's surface, Suicune slipped into the apparent heart of the former blaze, what once was the tallest tree in the area. A trunk thick as an Aggron, it had burned to less than half its original size. The entire area was blackened, the ground hardened by heat. Ho-Oh was waiting for her beneath the once-great oak.

" _What has happened here?"_ was the first question. She had the passing thought that Father was the cause, but dismissed it immediately. He valued all life, knew what it felt like to die. He had described the experience to the siblings once, to teach them that lesson. The three, including Entei, had been jumpy around fire for at least a month afterwards.

" _A lightning strike, fueled by untimely winds,"_ he dipped his beak in sorrow. " _I arrived too late to dissipate the thunderheads, but not all is lost."_

Stooping forwards, Ho-Oh shifted some of the debris around the base of the tree. Three small bodies were hidden under the roots, with barely sooted coats, protected from the worst of the blaze by chance.

" _From smoke inhalation,"_ he confirmed. " _They were lucky, having gone in their sleep."_ He carefully picked them up one-by-one. A Vaporeon, Jolteon and Flareon, looking as peaceful as if they were simply sleeping. Suicune felt her chest ache as she realized what was happening.

Of course, the siblings had worked out their origins, but it was just one of those subjects they didn't speak of. As if that would make it less prevalent.

" _We were… we used to be like them."_ It wasn't really a question. Father gazed at her with sadness, as though he never meant for her to have to confront this directly.  
" _Please… do not speak of this to your brothers…"_ his voice was pained, the same pain she had heard when he told them of his resurrection ability.

Taking as deep a breath as she dared, Suicune sat at her Father's side, against his leg. He momentarily put a wing around her in thanks, then returned to his task.

He breathed in, a strangely familiar heat building in the back of his throat, before a rose-gold flame spilled out of his beak onto the bodies. The Sacred Fire pooled around them as if in an invisible container, splashing into itself before starting to spin, faster and faster. Then the glow brightened as the ball of flames shrunk, smaller and smaller until it became clear it had separated into three, one over each Eeveelution.

The lights shrunk until they were the size of berries, then splashed into the pelts of each. It was absorbed, the light fading for a moment before it rekindled. This time the bodies were glowing, each tinged with the color of their type. It brightened, until it shone akin to that of evolution. The correlation to evolution grew stronger as they slowly began changing, growing in size.

Then they started breathing, weakly at first, but stronger every second, even as they grew. When the light faded, there were three completely new Pokemon lying on the blackened earth. But, most importantly, they were _alive_.

The recently former Flareon stirred, moving jerkily as though it was almost more puppet than beast. And a Beast it was. Suicune was staring at a near mirror image of her brother, though in the growing dark it was difficult to tell.

Father hovered into the air, carefully lifting the still-unconscious former Vaporeon and former Jolteon in a taloned foot each.

" _Carry him,"_ A simple command, yet not as easily done. It took some maneuvering, but eventually she managed to lift it - _him_ \- onto her back. He was smaller than she, maybe about two-thirds her size, which helped a bit.

" _To Ecruteak, my child,"_

* * *

 **A/N Here's where I definitely start curving away from the games, into my own little universe. In this world, the Beasts of Ecruteak were once the three first Eeveelutions (as fanon commonly demands), Ho-Oh resurrects when he dies (because phoenix motif and all that), and Suicune has taken a shine to Ethan because of Main Protagonist qualities.**

 **Hope it all at least makes some sense.**


	12. Beasts Pursued: Part 3

**A/N Part three of four.**

* * *

It was… strange, to say the least. How odd it was to see yourself, but _not_ yourself at the same time. Most Pokemon were probably used to it, but… she had never seen another Suicune before, much less a Shiny one.

Her doppelganger was still out cold, along with the Shiny Raikou, but the Fire-type was awake, lying against the floor of the Burned Tower and weakly lapping at a bowl of water the Kimono Girls had provided.

" _...who-"_ the former Flareon tried speaking, but started coughing. When the fit had finished, he attempted it again.

" _...who am I?"_ Suicune shared a glance with Ho-Oh, then decided it was for the best that she not talk. Thankfully, Father had done this before.

" _You are my child,"_ he spoke clearly, yet gently. No need to frighten the already confused Beast. " _Entei is your name."_

The newly-christened Entei looked at Suicune.

" _And you?"_ There was curiosity in his eyes. Good. Better than fear, at any rate.

" _I am Suicune,"_ she paused a moment, then finished what she was saying. " _...your older sister."_

" _...sister? I… I have a sister… she… she is…"_ he suddenly cut off, growling, or rather meowling, in pain. It was quite the odd sight, coming from someone almost the exact spitting image of the Entei _she_ knew.

" _Shhhh, it's okay. I'm right here, Entei,"_ Ho-Oh's soft cooing calmed the new Beast, who settled into a somewhat unsteady pant instead of the pitiful meows.

One of the others started groaning, twitching in their dissipating sleep. Suicune padded over softly, making sure she was in the line of sight of the awakening Legendary.

Raikou's red eyes cracked open, a few sparks of electricity crackling at its fangs until it started focusing on who was in front of it.

" _I am Suicune,"_ she took the initiative. " _How about we get you something to drink?"_

It wasn't long until they had gotten the new Raikou settled with her Shiny brother. It was certainly going to be odd introducing the non-shiny Beasts when everything was said and done.

Suicune stayed next to her doppelganger, making sure it didn't get too cold. As she wallowed in her thoughts, the Shiny Water-type started stirring, paws lashing out weakly as it fought to awaken. A few of the strikes hit her, but they had no real weight behind them. She shifted closer, trying to share her body heat, and started licking one of its paws in a gesture of comfort.

It seemed to work, calming the new Legendary as it woke. When its eyes opened, there was already a faint spark of life to them, quite unlike the more tired and clouded eyes of the other two.

" _I… you-"_ Suicune cut _him_ off, if the deeper voice was anything to go by.

" _Listen now, talk later,"_ she insisted, nudging him to his feet. He had to lean on her for support, but she managed to get him to his siblings. Once they were all relatively comfortable, Ho-Oh spoke in a low voice to her.

" _Look out for your brothers,"_ she nodded. The last thing any of them needed was a hyperactive Raikou. Entei wouldn't be nearly as much of a problem, but either of them would only confuse the new Beasts more.

Bunching herself up, she leaped to various purchases until she was balanced on the very top of the tower, which wasn't exactly very tall but it would work. The Beasts of Ecruteak always entered from about there, so her brothers would have to encounter her.

Keeping one ear trained on hearing if her siblings were approaching, she swiveled the other backwards. She was only able to catch a few snippets of the conversation, but the Shinies seemed to be taking it well.

Turning her attention back to the outside, she could faintly hear the pounding feet of her Fire-typed brother. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

Suicune slipped along the winds, just ahead of her male counterpart. A test to see which of his skills came naturally. He seemed to understand the concept of bending the air for a boost, but his aerokinesis was unstable. Nothing a little practise wouldn't fix. Carefully shedding a few layers of air, she slowed until she was next to him, then expanded her bubble of calm to include him. He immediately dropped the winds under his control.

" _You're already much better,"_ not an empty compliment. He was incredibly adept at picking up the nuances and various tricks Suicune herself had figured out over the centuries, though that was possibly because he had a tutor while she had trial and error.

Her counterpart deigned not to answer, possibly because of how hard he was panting. He had much less endurance than she, but it was to be expected. He had a new body, and the residual energy from being resurrected was still making him grow, albeit at much slower pace than before, as he was much closer to her size after the week.

Dissipating the winds completely, she slowed to a trot, then finally stopped. They were already making good time, so he deserved the break. Looking around, she took in their rest stop, a cozy little alcove along the edge of the coast about ten miles from Olivine City.

" _How do you- how do you run for so long?"_ he wheezed, taking a moment to lay down. Suicune picked up some of the seawater with Extrasensory, then tapped it with a paw. The salt and other contaminants were immediately expelled, dropping to the ground with some force. She floated the now-pure water over to the Shiny, who started lapping at it.

" _Experience,"_ she shrugged. There really wasn't much else to it. " _You'll see visible improvements soon. You are already better than I was at this stage,"_ she admitted, carefully excluding how her brothers were the main reason, what with all the times they'd interrupted her. Her doppelganger was about on par with her, just lacking experience and general fitness on top of adjusting to his considerably different body.

" _That's something, I suppose,"_ he sighed, still clearly disgruntled.

" _Stop fretting, we're nearly there,"_ she laughed, standing with him. " _You can see the Whirl Islands from just over that ridge. I'm sure the Lugia there would love to meet you."_

" _How many more after this?"_ he asked as they started moving again, this time at a slower pace.

" _Well, we've already visited all the places Father likes, the backup gathering places, where the Celebi tend to appear in Ilex Forest,"_ she had been careful to avoid the part completely demolished by fire, but knew she couldn't keep him from it forever, " _Lugia is the last Johtonian Legendary, then we visit Kanto. Raikou will take you to visit the farther regions."_

" _So way too many,"_ he summed up. She couldn't help but chuckle at his defeated tone.

" _It's not so bad once you know them all. Most of them are quite amicable Pokemon, except for perhaps the Birds of Shamouti. They don't stop squabbling until the neighborhood Lugia shows up."_ It was the male Suicune's turn to laugh. The two lapsed into a comfortable silence, which was filled by the sounds of the ocean.

* * *

Suicune sprinted over the open ocean at speed, struggling neck-to-neck with the Shiny Raikou. Both were kissing the sound barrier, hence their race taking place on the ocean. She had to admit, the Electric-type was fast. It wasn't too surprising, given the training the male Raikou had given her. That being said, she suffered from the same issues her Water-typed brother had. Not much finesse or stamina.

Suicune's opponent was breathing hard, fully concentrating on the bounding motions that carried her over the waved. Both were definitely faster than their current pace, but this was a marathon.

Deciding they'd been going for long enough, Suicune signaled for her junior to slow. They were approaching one of their objectives anyway. Raikou obliged, her speed creeping downwards until it was far below the abused sound barrier.

Glancing about to double-check their position, she slowed further until the two were going just fast enough for Raikou to stay atop the water. The approaching craggy islands weren't ideal for a stop, at least for Raikou, but they would do.

Suicune slowed to a trot atop the surf, while Raikou had to maintain speed until above solid ground. Just as she reached the edge of the waterline she flubbed a step, tripping on the receding water and slamming into the wet sand at a hundred miles an hour. Suicune winced, but that didn't stop her chuckling a bit. Her brothers had done exactly that on more than a few occasions.

" _Ow,"_ Raikou groaned into the beach.

" _First time?"_ Suicune asked as she stepped onto the sand.

" _This happens often?"_ a note of despair colored Raikou's voice as she lifted herself from the ground, evidently more embarrassed than anything.

" _Once you know the timing better you'll be fine,"_ Suicune assured her. Raikou grunted in acknowledgement as she attempted to shake the sand from her pelt. Granules went everywhere, but a few still clung.

" _Stand over there, I'm going to wash the sand off."_ Suicune directed her protege. Raikou obliged, looking a little confused as she stood on a dry patch of sand.

" _Wait-"_ Raikou's realization was cut off by the blast of water Suicune had prepared. Just as the younger Beast started reactively discharging electricity, Suicune cut off the jet.

The now sopping wet Raikou was glaring dagger at her.

" _Is there any reason for me to_ not _shock you?"_ The Electric-type asked in polite icy tones.

" _It got your fur clean,"_ Suicune shrugged. " _If you build a weak charge the water will evaporate,"_ she suggested, loping past so the the Shiny couldn't see her slight grin.

With Raikou dry, if not a little poofy from the residual static, they approached the gaping mouth of a cave.

" _Who lives here?"_ the older Beast could hear the trepidation in the younger's voice.

" _There's no need to be nervous,"_ Suicune assured her. " _Lugia is quite mild mannered."_

* * *

Suicune stepped into the cave's maw, the new Entei a few lengths behind. She was glad she had informed Lugia of all three new Beasts, else the more powerful Legendary might have been unhappy with the extra surprise visits.

" _Why is it so damp in here?"_ Entei asked, more than a little discomfort in his tone.

" _The caves reach far beneath sea level - careful, the floor is slippery here - so seawater leaks in at certain points,"_ the Water-type explained, carefully guiding the Fire-type through the increasingly deep tunnels.

The path to Lugia's nest was fairly straightforward, but straightforward didn't mean _easy_. The two Beasts came upon what could have been a shallow cliffside, a narrow path winding down into the large cavern below.

" _Watch your step here,"_ Suicune warned him. " _This goes quite far down. A misstep can cause serious injuries, even to us."_

There was an audible gulp as she stepped forwards, picking her way down the slope with practiced ease. A few moments later, Entei's heavier footfalls followed. He was going much slower, making sure his footholds were secure before taking another step. He was significantly more clumsy, that would take practice to fix, but he wasn't stumbling.

Eventually they reached the bottom, where a large pool of water swirled, agitated by the waterfall flowing into it. Entei stood back further than she did, dissuaded by the spray.

" _Lugia?"_ Suicune called out, sitting patiently as her voice reverberated through the caves.

Nothing seemed to happen.

" _Are you sure she's home?"_ the Shiny Beast asked. She silenced him with a flick of her streamers.

Again they sat in silence.

Then a huge shape burst from the pool in a plume of water, tossing the droplets in every which way. Entei flinched as it soaked into his pelt while Suicune just smiled to herself. Both Ho-Oh and Lugia adored their flashy entrances.

" _It is lovely to see you again, Suicune,"_ Lugia's smooth alto voice greeted her as the large Legendary settled, resting at the edge of the pool with her head above the surface.

" _Indeed, Lady Lugia,"_ the Water-type nodded respectfully.

Behind her, Entei squeaked.

Suicune couldn't resist a small smile.

* * *

It had been nearly half a year since her resolution.

Necessarily spent, but spent nonetheless.

Suicune dashed across the waves, half following a lead and half following her gut.

The second Suicune was prepared to take over her duties, which were also eased by his siblings. Her own brothers had joked they might follow her example, once they were sure the Shiny trio were doing well, so maybe she would see them sooner rather than later.

If need be, she was sure Ethan would let her go, at least temporarily.

Land approached ahead. Vermillion Port, where the S.S. Aqua was moored in harbor.

The indistinct dots spilling onto the piers rapidly grew in size, and Suicune instinctively slowed so she could more clearly see.

Pokemon were mixed in among the humans of all shapes, sizes and walks of life, and a few sharp-eared ones turned to see her enter atop the water.

Murmurs broke out as she stalled, searching for Ethan among the growing crowd.

At first it seemed hopeless, but-

There!

That backwards hat, the jacket. Ethan.

The Legendary let out a mighty _**ROAR**_ , making the crowd back up a few steps. A few extremely disgruntled Pidgey flew off in a huff.

She made eye contact with Ethan, then burst off towards the North.

If he truly was taking the Kanto Gym Challenge, he was likely to pass by Cerulean. She would wait for him there.

* * *

 **A/N A bit of a filler chapter, but it is what it is. I needed to get this out of the way before I can get to the climax.**

 **I hope I gave each new Beast a bit of a spotlight here, or at least enough to affirm that the two sets are different from each other.**


	13. FFN is dUMB

Alright, so in the past day or so, there's been a hacker that managed to get into the javascript for user profile pages. This 'infection' changed your bio to "I support Critics United" repeated multiple times, then later displayed "I did not use common sense, thus I was punished", also repeated. Then things got _worse_ , since the hacker is trying to add an email to the 'infected' profiles.

Complete radio silence from the admins, of course.

There are some Reddit posts on this that are a lot more informative than I am, and I _would_ have linked them if FFN wasn't dumb, but I digress.

If you don't click on a profile that's infected, or are logged out when you do so, you'll be unaffected, but it's the sheer fact that this is happening that's making me jump ship. All my stories will still be here, but I won't update them anymore. I _will_ be active on Archive Of Our Own, though, under the same username.

So that's what this all is about. See ya', I guess.

Peace out~


End file.
